Sudan: Volunteers plant trees to make Khartoum greener amid reconstruction

As reconstruction is underway in Sudan’s capital, a grassroots initiative is using the opportunity to turn Khartoum into a greener city.

Volunteers are working to plant 1,000 trees around Khartoum in the hopes of restoring its pre-war glory.

"The initiative began with questions like, 'Why don't we have fruit trees in Sudan? Why aren't these trees in our streets and neighborhoods?' These questions were presented as an initiative on social media, and [it] was very well received by young people," said Mugtaba Montaser, the founder of the "Green Khartoum" initiative.

The army recaptured Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in March 2025.

Sudan’s military-led government announced its gradual return to the capital in January after operating from the Red Sea city of Port Sudan some 700 kilometres away for nearly three years.

"The rebels destroyed everything, including the trees, so the importance of this initiative is to contribute to increasing the city's green cover," said Haitham Bahr, a volunteer.

The "Green Khartoum" initiative has especially inspired young people, who hope to help turn their damaged city into a welcoming environment.

"We participated in the "Thousand Trees" Initiative to make Khartoum greener, and God willing, we hope to make Bahri, Omdurman, and all parts of Sudan greener," said volunteer Moaaz Fathallah.

More than a third of Khartoum's nine million residents fled when the RSF seized it in 2023. Over a million have returned since the army retook the city.

Meanwhile, war continues to rage in Sudan’s Kordofan region.