Sudanese Runner Abubaker Kaki Khamis is Not Dead

On 12 April 2025, many took to social media to mourn the death of Sudanese runner Abubaker Kaki Khamis, who was believed to have been killed in an artillery strike in Al Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur.

Some media outlets reported that Kaki was killed in Al Fasher as a result of artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have the city and much of the Darfur region under siege amid the ongoing war in Sudan. However, these reports have been disputed by several African journalists. Notably, Sudanese journalist Elias Obanyi Makori stated that he spoke with Kaki by phone after the reports of his death surfaced.

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Originally born in 1989 in West Kordofan, Kaki is a 35-year-old middle-distance runner who specialises in the 800 m. He is a two-time World Indoor Champion over the distance and also won gold at the 2007 All-Africa Games. He represented Sudan at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

He is current whereabouts have not been disclosed. However, Makori reports Kaki ‘is well and confirms he is not past tense’.