CAIRO — Sudan said it reopened its airspace Wednesday after an armed revolt from within its security forces shut down the capital’s airport for hours and left at least two people dead.
In a news conference, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the country’s ruling transitional council, announced that “life has returned to normal” after a tense stand-off between the armed forces and rogue intelligence officers. The officers had fired shots in the air to demand better severance benefits.
Sudan’s petroleum minister declared the resumption of oil production at two fields that had been seized by rebellious officers.
The airport authority in neighboring Egypt said it was resuming all flights to Sudan after a two-day suspension over security concerns.
The burst of unrest had paralyzed street life in several parts of the capital, Khartoum, along with another western city. Videos circulated on social media showing vast deployment of security forces and heavy exchanges of gunfire.
The armed forces will “not allow any coup to occur,” said Burhan, adding that it was a “shame that weapons were raised in the faces of the people.”
The army quickly quelled the short-lived mutiny with “minimal losses,” said General Mohamed Othman al-Hussein, its chief of staff on Wednesday.