Tuti Island (also spelled Tutti Island; ) is an island in

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

where the

White Nile The White Nile ( ') is a river in Africa, the minor of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the larger being the Blue Nile. The name "White" comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. In the stri ...

and

Blue Nile The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major Tributary, tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the wa ...

merge to form the main

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

. It is surrounded by the "Three Towns":

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

(the capital of Sudan),

Omdurman Omdurman () is a major city in Sudan. It is the second most populous city in the country, located in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the capital city of Khartoum. The city acts ...

(the largest city in Sudan), and Khartoum North (also known as Bahri, a large industrial center). Despite this, Tuti is home to only one small village (founded in the late 15th century), with grassland being the main makeup of the island. In the past the only approach to Tuti Island was via several ferries that cross the river intermittently, but the

Tuti Bridge The Tuti Bridge () is a modern suspension bridge linking between Tuti Island and the City of Khartoum in Sudan that was completed in February 2008. In the past the only approach to Tuti Island was via ferries but thanks to the Tuti-Khartoum Bri ...

, a modern suspension bridge, was completed in 2008 and can be used instead. The island area is . Tuti Island is mainly agricultural and where Khartoum gets most of its supply of fruits and vegetables. Several farms are situated all around the island, many of them still using manual methods of farming. Green fields and lime groves are also present. Following the outbreak of the

Sudanese Civil War The term Sudanese Civil War refers to at least three separate conflicts in Sudan in Northeast Africa: *First Sudanese Civil War (1955–1972) *Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005) *Sudanese civil war (2023–present) It could also refer to other ...

in April 2023, the

Rapid Support Forces The Rapid Support Forces (RSF; ) is a paramilitary force formerly operated by the government of Sudan. The RSF grew out of, and is primarily composed of, the Janjaweed militias which previously fought on behalf of the Sudanese government. RSF ...

(RSF) converted the island into what was effectively an open-air prison. By October 2024, nearly all 30,000 inhabitants of Tuti had fled, with the exception of around 50 people. The island was retaken by the

Sudanese Armed Forces The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF; ) are the military forces of the Republic of the Sudan. The force strength has been estimated at personnel in 2011 (by IISS), 200,000 personnel before the current war in Sudan broke out in 2023 (by the CIA), and ...

(SAF) in March 2025.

Lifestyle

The ca. of land on the island are covered in citrus orchards, vegetable farms, gorse hedgerows and narrow muddy lanes where donkeys and rickshaws are the main source of transport. The building of the Tuti Bridge has sparked development projects on Tuti Island, primarily by Tuti Island Investment Company, which plans to turn the Island into a state of the art tourist resort. These ideas have caused controversy, with the locals wishing to protect their village from becoming a tourist destination. Map_Sudan_Bahri

References

External links

Khartoum Omdurman River islands of Sudan Khartoum State Islands of the Nile {{island-stub