The Return of Football and the Arts: Efforts to Normalize Life in Khartoum
Report – Sudan Events
As part of ongoing efforts to restore and normalize life in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, the committee tasked with preparing the city for residents’ return has begun rehabilitation work on football stadiums, paving the way for the resumption of sporting activity in the capital. These steps come amid a noticeable increase in returnees to Khartoum, which is currently receiving growing numbers of residents following the return of several ministries and senior officials.
Significant efforts have been led by a committee chaired by Sovereign Council member Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Jaber, who has worked on multiple fronts—from addressing widespread and alarming security breakdowns, to repairing electricity transformers destroyed by militia forces, and ultimately to reviving life in Khartoum’s sports facilities. The goal is to enable football teams to return to playing on the capital’s pitches after the country began to reclaim part of its sporting activity with the launch of the Elite League last year. The competition has since expanded, with broad participation from teams representing various regions of Sudan.
Several officials from the Sudan Football Association recently toured major stadiums, including Khartoum Stadium, Al-Hilal and Al-Merrikh stadiums, and the Sports City in Omdurman, among others. A special committee was formed to oversee the reconstruction of these facilities, which suffered extensive damage after being shelled by the Rapid Support Forces militia and caught in fierce battles in their surroundings. Years of neglect had already taken a toll on the stadiums and their facilities, while widespread looting further damaged infrastructure and equipment, prompting joint intervention by the Football Association and the government to rebuild them.
Earlier, Sovereign Council member Ibrahim Jaber met with members of the Musicians’ Professional Union, urging the revival of artistic activity and its support for the Sudanese Armed Forces and voluntary return initiatives. Efforts to revive life in Khartoum are no longer limited to restoring water and electricity, reorganizing markets, or addressing informal housing. They have expanded to include sports and the arts, which are gradually reclaiming their place as part of the city’s recovery.
Despite ongoing electricity shortages, large parts of Khartoum—such as East Nile, Bahri, and several neighborhoods within the capital—have witnessed a significant return of residents. This has revitalized local markets and encouraged commercial activity to expand. Many residents have turned to solar panels to compensate for the lack of electricity. In areas such as Al-Lamab, residents collectively installed solar-powered street lighting, a move that significantly improved security and encouraged families to return to their homes.
Hashem Mohamed Al-Nour, a shop owner in the area, says progress is slow but tangible. “When I returned to my shop, everything had been stolen—the goods, the money I left behind, even the shop’s door. The area was desolate, and accessing markets to restock was extremely difficult because local markets were not operating. We had to go to Sabreen Market in Omdurman to get supplies,” he said. He added that conditions have improved with the return of residents and the reopening of markets, despite high prices driven by transportation costs and expensive fuel. “People here are struggling through harsh conditions and doing their best to reclaim lives that were taken from them. As you can see, no house was spared from looting, no shop from destruction. It looked chaotic, but it was systematic—those responsible were not ordinary thieves; some were skilled professionals who knew exactly what to take and how to dismantle it.”
Ali Mohamed Sari, a resident of the Al-Rumaila area, noted that militia forces had established strong positions in these neighborhoods, which lie along the route to the Armored Corps camp. “They destroyed everything imaginable,” he said. “But we are now regaining our ability to resist and to live. We hope the government’s promises to restore electricity will be fulfilled—not only because it makes life at home possible, but because it will help many sectors resume work that depends on power.”
Many believe that fears surrounding a return to Khartoum will gradually fade as the government re-establishes its presence, services are restored, spectators return to stadium stands, and media and cultural life reclaim their leading roles. Residents already observe that many once-abandoned areas have regained vitality, with life slowly flowing back into them. This momentum is expected to grow with the revival of sporting activity in Khartoum’s stadiums and the reopening of theaters—most notably the Friendship Hall Theatre in Khartoum and the National Theatre in Omdurman.
