Sudan war drains life from once-thriving island in capital's heart

Families gather by the shallow waters of the Nile River at the Tuti island where the Blue Nile and the White Nile meet in Khartoum on May 1, 2019. [AFP]

An island in the middle of Sudan's capital that used to draw crowds to its Nile River farms now stands nearly deserted after two years of war, its homes ransacked and once-lush fields left fallow.

Nestled at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers, Tuti Island has been devastated by two years of war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with residents subjected to violence and looting.