Sudan govt returns to Khartoum after 1,000 days of war

The government of Prime Minister Kamil Idris officially resumed its activities in Khartoum on Sunday, with his return along with members of his cabinet, coinciding with the passing of 1,000 days of the war that broke out on April 15, 2023.

Prime Minister Kamil Idris announced at a public meeting in El Kadru Square in Khartoum North (Bahri) on Sunday that the entire government has returned to Khartoum to resume its activities, effective immediately. Idris also promised to work on supporting the resumption of activities at universities.

As hostilities escalated in Khartoum at the outbreak of the current war, the government and state institutions moved to Port Sudan, which has become a temporary administrative capital.

2026 has been declared the Year of Peace, according to the National Peace Initiative presented by the government. The initiative he put forward for peace was described as “a purely Sudanese initiative that found unlimited support at the international and regional levels”.

Return to Khartoum does not mean the end of the war

Minister of Human Resources and Social Welfare Mutasim Ahmed said that the return of the Hope Government to Khartoum represents the government’s transition from managing the crisis remotely to directly carrying out executive work from within the field, in light of the challenges imposed by the war, and the efforts required at this stage to establish security, restore services, and rebuild state institutions.

He said that this return has important political, administrative and moral implications, as it reflects the consolidation of state sovereignty and the thwarting of any attempts to impose a fait accompli outside its framework, in addition to enabling ministries to work from within the capital, which contributes to accelerating decision-making, enhancing coordination between security and service agencies, and linking planning with direct implementation.

The minister emphasized that the return of the Government of National Accord to Khartoum does not signify the end of the war, but rather the beginning of restoring the state, building trust, and paving the way for recovery and reconstruction from within Khartoum. He noted that this step represents a political return of the Sudanese state to its rightful place, not merely a geographical one.