Sudan extends airspace closure

The Sudanese civil aviation authority has extended the closure of Sudan’s airspace until August 15, except for humanitarian aid and evacuation flights, Khartoum International Airport said in a statement early on Monday.

Sudanese airspace was closed to regular traffic after a military conflict erupted between the country’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April.

Nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the violence, according to local medics.

Fighting has been concentrated in the capital Khartoum and the western region of Darfur.

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More than 2.9 million people have been uprooted by Sudan’s conflict, including nearly 700,000 who have fled into neighbouring countries.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 2.2 million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

Several ceasefire agreements brokered by Saudi and US mediators between the warring rivals had failed to end violence in the country.