4m
21 Jul 2023

Life in Khartoum: Sudan’s ‘ghost town’ capital as seen via drone

Last night we brought you evidence of a mass killing in Darfur in Sudan – where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces stand accused of summarily executing dozens of ethnic Masil-eet people, in a school compound in May.

But Darfur is just one stage for the horrors of this three month conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Army.

Khartoum, the nation’s capital, is the other.

A city of 6 million has become a ghost town. Millions have fled – but some have stayed behind.They’re locked down, trapped in their houses, as the war rages just outside their doors.

It’s too dangerous for them to speak publicly, to explain how small their worlds have become.

But one young man and woman, whose identities we’re protecting, have told us their stories. He’s a drone photographer, who documents the destruction, despite the risk. And she’s a writer, whose only escape now is inside the pages of her diary.