For the first time since the fighting began, the park is alive with the sounds of children’s voices. Marina Park, once closed and deserted, is slowly coming back to life. Children run between games while parents wait on the sidelines, soaking in moments that had once felt completely out of reach.
In a scene that evokes glimpses of a life lost to war, the Marina amusement park in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, reopened its doors to the public on the first day of 2026, ending years of closure due to the ongoing conflict in the country.
The park, formerly known as “April 6 Gardens,” is the first recreational space to reopen to visitors in Khartoum since the outbreak of the war. This move carries immense symbolic significance for residents who are exhausted by years of violence and the forced absence of public life.
A Much-Needed Escape for Families
For parents, moments like these are about much more than just play for their children. Being here represents a rare opportunity to disconnect from the weariness and hardship of war.
“I came here with my family to escape the atmosphere of war, drones, and cannons. I came to enjoy myself with my family right here, where there is greenery, water, and beauty,” said Mohamed Abdalgader, a visitor at Marina Park.
Located along Nile Street near the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers, the park began welcoming wider crowds in early February. It features green spaces, seating areas, and recreational zones that had been closed off since the conflict erupted in April 2023. According to local notices and social media posts about the event, Marina Park has been hosting crowds from morning until evening, with daily activities running through mid-February.
For many Khartoum residents, this reopening represents one of the first visible returns to normal public life since the war began. During the intense conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), much of the city’s social infrastructure was shuttered or damaged, severely curtailing basic entertainment and communal spaces for families.
“Walking through these gardens again, hearing laughter, and seeing children at play feels like a breath of fresh air after years of darkness,” shared Ahmed Alsheikh, another local visitor at Marina Park.
High Demand and a Return to Normalcy
The demand for Marina Park has been striking since its reopening. According to local organizers and on-site staff, more than 600 students, along with dozens of families, visit the park daily. School and university students have been arriving in large groups throughout the day, utilizing the space for recreation, social interaction, and informal gatherings.
For many young people in Khartoum, the park has become one of the few accessible outdoor venues that offer a true sense of freedom and normalcy after enduring long periods of restricted movement and disrupted education.
The rush to the park demonstrates how vital it is for the Sudanese people, who have been affected by a raging war for nearly three years, to have a place of escape. Particularly during the afternoon and evening hours, the steady flow of students is joined by dozens of families.
As parents bring their children to enjoy the open green spaces, vendors and small businesses operating nearby have reported increased commercial activity resulting from the crowds. This consistently high turnout reflects a broader public need for safe, shared spaces in the capital and underscores the park’s growing role as a central social hub in post-conflict Khartoum.
The Path to Rehabilitation
The park’s reopening comes amid a broader, albeit fragile, resurgence of civic life in Khartoum. Over recent months, the capital has hosted various cultural events, including the city’s first flower festival in nearly three years. This festival, which was also hosted at the park, highlighted horticulture exhibitions and vibrant public engagement.
City authorities and community leaders have framed Marina Park’s revival as far more than a simple leisure project. They see it as a powerful symbol of resilience and communal healing for a population deeply affected by displacement and trauma. “Spaces like this give people a place to reconnect and feel the city alive again,” noted a festival organizer, adding that such gatherings help cultivate hope after prolonged hardship.
Mahmood Aljaili, an official at the park, explained that the rehabilitation work took several months. The restoration began last July amidst significant challenges posed by the sheer scale of the destruction and severely limited resources.
Aljaili praised the dedicated efforts of the workers and administrators who persevered despite the difficult circumstances, emphasizing that their determination was the decisive factor in bringing the park back to life. He revealed that the park’s generators were destroyed during the war, while all the rides had been dismantled and their electrical connections severed. Despite this, the team managed to successfully rehabilitate approximately 90% of the park.
He also noted a significant increase in family visits, as well as organized trips from schools, kindergartens, and universities, which heavily reflects the community’s desperate need for such spaces after years of neglect.
Concluding his remarks, Aljaili mentioned that the park management is currently awaiting the arrival of several new rides from abroad. However, operating them will require additional electricity. He appealed to the relevant authorities for assistance in overcoming this final obstacle to ensure the park can soon operate at full capacity.
Since the outbreak of the war in Sudan, most of the city’s main parks and recreational areas—estimated at around a dozen—have been closed. Over the past two years of the Sudanese conflict, many of these locations suffered extensive damage as they were caught in the crossfire between the army and the RSF.
Environmentally, public parks serve as the lungs of Khartoum, providing the city with much-needed greenery. These spaces are characterized by dense trees and vegetation that cover most of their grounds, absorbing carbon dioxide emissions produced by cars and factories while simultaneously providing safe playgrounds for young children.
Marina Park, formerly known as April 6 Park, stands as the first park to reopen in Khartoum this year, following its recapture by the Sudanese army on March 27th.
Over the past two years, fierce battles have raged between the Sudanese army and the RSF, dividing the country into areas controlled by the army in the north, center, and east, while the RSF controls most of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.
While much of Khartoum continues to grapple with recovering essential services and rebuilding its damaged infrastructure, the reopening of Marina Park offers a tangible, hopeful sign of life returning to the capital’s streets and public spaces—and serves as a beautiful reminder of the enduring spirit of its residents.