Sudan creates body to restore services in war-ravaged Khartoum

July 16, 2025 (KHARTOUM ) – Sudan’s military-led Sovereign Council has created a special committee to restore basic services in the capital Khartoum, state media said on Wednesday, as authorities aim to create a safe environment for the return of millions displaced by war.

The committee, led by Sovereign Council member Ibrahim Jabir, is tasked with rehabilitating water and power networks, health facilities, and road infrastructure, according to a statement from the Khartoum state media office.

The city has been devastated by the conflict that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Some 105,000 people have returned to Khartoum state out of a total of 3.6 million who fled their homes when the fighting began, the statement said. The government is attempting the costly reconstruction despite most state resources being directed towards the war effort.

Efforts are underway to repair critical infrastructure, including the Beit Al-Mal water station in Omdurman and power lines connected to other key facilities. However, officials face significant hurdles, including a sharp drop in the Nile’s water level that has impacted several water treatment plants.

In a grim sign of the war’s toll, the emergency committee also directed authorities to continue the work of collecting human remains from streets and buildings for proper burial in cemeteries.

Residents who remained in the capital during the fiercest fighting had been forced to bury their dead in makeshift graves in homes and public squares because it was too dangerous to reach formal burial grounds, the statement said.