A passenger plane preparing to take off from Sudan for Saudi Arabia caught fire on Saturday as deadly fighting erupted between the army and paramilitaries in Khartoum, the capital. The Kingdom’s flag carrier said the Airbus A330 bound for Riyadh “was exposed to gunfire damage…with guests and crew on board” ahead of its scheduled departure, according to the Ugandan newspaper *Monitor*. Saudi Arabia confirmed that all members of the aircraft’s cabin crew have safely arrived at the Saudi Embassy in Sudan. It also announced that aircraft flying over Sudan have returned and that all other flights to and from the country have been suspended to protect passengers and crew.
*Monitor* reported that clashes on Saturday between Sudan’s army and paramilitaries resulted in three civilian deaths, including at Khartoum’s airport in the city centre. The Saudi statement did not mention any casualties involving its aircraft. Paramilitary forces claimed control of the airport and the presidential palace, a claim the army denied.
The violence followed weeks of escalating tension between military leader Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, over plans to integrate the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the regular army. This integration was a key element of negotiations aimed at concluding a pact that would restore civilian rule and end the crisis sparked by their 2021 coup, which had already deepened the economic woes of one of the world’s poorest countries.
The Saudi embassy in Sudan urged all Saudi citizens to remain at home, according to the state‑affiliated Al‑Ekhbariya channel. Both the Saudi foreign ministry and the six‑member Gulf Cooperation Council, headquartered in Riyadh, issued statements expressing concern over Saturday’s violence.
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