This archive report was first published on 15 January 2020.
On January 15, 2020, Sudan's sovereign council head, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, announced the reopening of the country's airspace, marking a significant development in the nation's transition towards a new administration.
However, the move came amidst a backdrop of violence, as the army quelled a revolt by former security agents linked to the toppled ruler Omar al-Bashir. The confrontation, which took place in the capital, Khartoum, resulted in the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to four others, according to a military source.
"All headquarters are under the army's control, and the airspace is now open," al-Burhan said in a speech, as reported by Reuters.
The former security agents, who were protesting over severance packages, had also shut down two small oilfields in Darfur, which had an output of around 5,000 barrels a day, a government source told Reuters.
The revolt marked the biggest confrontation yet between the old guard and supporters of the new administration, which had helped topple Bashir in April 2019 after 30 years in power.
Restructuring the once-feared security apparatus, blamed for suppressing dissent under Bashir, was among the key demands of the uprising that had forced his removal.
