Khartoum at the New Year’s Dawn: A Turning Point in Movement and Direction

Sudanhorizon, Muhammad M. Almamoon
As the first rays of the sun of the new calendar year (2026) fall upon the capital, Khartoum, anyone heading towards the city centre can discern the features of a city being reborn—above it hover colours and lights powered by clean solar energy, while renewed buildings and meanings take shape across its landscape.
With each morning, the outlines of a new city emerge. By way of example, much of what is new can be summarised as follows: most health centres, shops, markets, mosques, a number of universities, fuel stations, and streetlights on main roads and residential streets have been brought into operation using solar power, with solar panels now covering the rooftops of these buildings and premises.
The relocation of ministries and government institutions to eastern Khartoum has brought about a fundamental shift in traffic and transport patterns, reversing long-standing distortions and placing residents on a new path in which the urban map itself is being redrawn.
Out of Intensive Care
In a previous series of articles, we described how Khartoum rose from the rubble and how water and health services returned to the city after being devastated by the Rapid Support Forces militia through a deliberately destructive, chaotic approach.
Khartoum has now moved from intensive care to intermediate care. Electricity lines have been regularised, pending the completion of transformer stations; popular markets have resumed activity; health centres and pharmacies have reopened; public squares have expanded; harmful elements have been driven out through the widest of doors; people have begun to don the garment of recovery from disease and epidemics; and, for the first time since the war, we have seen children playing with indescribable joy and happiness in the parks of Al-Muqran.
Government Efforts
The most recent meeting of the Supreme Committee for Preparing the Environment for Return to Khartoum State—chaired by a member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Assistant Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Engineer Ibrahim Jaber—commended the efforts of workers in the electricity, water, roads, and bridges sectors. The meeting highlighted their major role in raising completion rates related to restoring electricity supply and water provision to facilities and residential areas, as well as their continued work in maintaining and rehabilitating roads and bridges.
Provision of Resources
The Sovereignty Council member affirmed the continuation of government efforts to secure the resources required to meet rehabilitation needs and to overcome all challenges facing service sectors, in coordination with customs authorities, to expedite the arrival of equipment and operational materials.
Transformer Distribution Plan
For his part, the Governor of Khartoum State highlighted significant progress in the electricity sector, with a substantial number of neighbourhoods and facilities now connected to the grid. He explained that transformer distribution is being carried out according to plans based on technical standards and population density, calling for the completion of the remaining transformers of various capacities to curb illegal connections and illuminate neighbourhoods damaged during the war.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, Abdullah Ibrahim, revealed that contracting procedures for the supply of approximately 4,000 transformers have been completed and that the costs are currently being settled. He confirmed that programmes to prepare the environment for return rank among the ministry’s top spending priorities.
Representatives of the electricity, water, roads and bridges, and media committees presented performance reports, announcing the arrival of around 500 transformers, with a further 1,500 expected in the coming days. They reported that distribution works had been completed at a rate of 100 per cent, that 892 transformers had been serviced to date, and that new electricity meters had been provided to combat illegal connections.
The reports also recorded a marked improvement in water supply and an increase in production capacity, with 28 residential blocks in the Al-Azhari area now connected to the network.
Roads and Bridges Rehabilitation
With regard to roads, the relevant committee reviewed the volume of work completed on the maintenance and rehabilitation of a number of roads and bridges across the three cities of the capital, as well as the installation of traffic lights and street lighting.
Digital Transformation
The meeting received a detailed briefing on the government data and transactions exchange platform (Baladna), presented by the Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation, Engineer Ahmed Dardiri. He noted the launch of the “Eisali” services in Khartoum State, offering more than 150 services as part of an advanced financial system expected to bring about a qualitative transformation in the country.
Return of the Council of Ministers
The Minister at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Dr Lamya Abdel Ghaffar, announced the return of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to resume its work from Khartoum State as of early January, in implementation of state directives mandating the return of the federal government to the capital.
She confirmed that the Prime Minister, Dr Kamil Idris, would commence his duties from Khartoum during the second week of January 2026. She added that her visit to Khartoum State aimed to assess on the ground the arrangements for the relocation of federal ministries to the designated premises to resume operations at the start of the new year. She affirmed the provision of full support to the state government to complete the system of basic services, including electricity and water, as well as to improve the efficiency of the sewage network, in order to achieve stability and accelerate the pace of voluntary return of citizens to the state.
Dr Lamya praised the noticeable improvement in public cleanliness, the availability of essential services, and the improved security situation, while also commending the sacrifices of the armed forces and the forces participating in the Battle of Dignity, and their role in restoring security and stability.
A Picture from Reality
To convey a picture from the ground, Al-Muhaqiq surveyed a sample of Khartoum residents: those who remained throughout the war; those who stayed for a long period before leaving; and those who left from the outset and returned immediately after liberation, witnessing the stages of recovery and revival.
A Noticeable Return
Citizen Salah Mustafa, a resident of Al-Hilla Al-Jadida, Khartoum, Block 9—known as “Wad Al-Mubarak”—who remained throughout the war, responded to the call for mobilisation with the armed forces in the armoured corps, and participated alongside neighbourhood youth in all the battles to liberate Khartoum, said that the city has indeed returned after having been a “ruin”. He noted a clear movement of return by neighbourhood residents following the expansion of the security umbrella.
Observations and Alerts
Supporting his remarks, Imad Taha from Al-Sahafa neighbourhood warned Khartoum’s local authorities about shops and kiosks selling toombak (chewing tobacco). He said the phenomenon appears suspicious and disproportionate to the population size, as their number is excessive and raises various questions.
General Conditions
Meanwhile, employee Mohamed Mahjoub, who arrived in Khartoum about a month ago and resides in Arkawit, said he had expected reconstruction and the restoration of water and health services to take a long time, but their rapid return encouraged citizens to come back.
Citizen Shams Al-Din Bakhit from Al-Jereif West believes conditions are improving and that public services have reached the area.
Ammar Taha from the Al-Shagara neighbourhood confirmed that the area has returned to normal and that all services have been restored in better condition than before.
Finally, citizen Abdel Jalil Othman from Al-Imtidad stated that overall conditions are excellent, and that the full return of neighbourhood residents now depends on the restoration of electricity services.

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