Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil El-Tayib Idris has instructed the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to facilitate the reopening of universities in the capital, Khartoum, Sudan News Agency reports.

The directive also mandates action to assess and repair the extensive damage inflicted on university buildings and research centres.

The war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has severely impacted the country's education sector, with many institutions in Khartoum State reportedly destroyed or rendered irreparable.

Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil El-Tayib Idris also directed the National Centre for Curricula and Educational Research to integrate lessons into the school curriculum that highlight the importance of strengthening national unity and rejecting hate speech.

National recovery

The authorities have not given a specific date for the reopening of the universities, but said it is a foundational step towards a comprehensive national recovery process.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and the army have been locked in a brutal power struggle, resulting in thousands of deaths and pushing Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million displaced, according to UN and local figures.

The Sudanese army in February swiftly advanced and retook the capital, Khartoum, forcing the RSF to retreat.

RSF last week, however, said it has captured the strategic "Triangle" area, a key junction linking Sudan, Libya, and Egypt, after clashes with army forces.

The army confirmed that its forces had retreated from the border area “as part of defensive arrangements to repel aggression”, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The army has accused forces of Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar of supporting the RSF militia, calling it “a reprehensible act” and “a flagrant violation of international law”.