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Kassala (, ) is the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. In 2003 its population was recorded to be 530,950. Built on the banks of the Mareb River, it is a market city and is famous for its fruit gardens. Many of its inhabitants are from the Hadendoa sub-tribe of the Beja people ethnic group.
The city was formerly a railroad hub, however, as of 2006 there was no operational railway station in Kassala and much of the track leading to and from the city has been salvaged or fallen into disrepair. Kassala's location along the main Khartoum-Port Sudan highway makes it an important trade center.
On July 17, 1894, Italy annexed Kassala to Italian Eritrea. The Italians fortified the town and brought stability to the region by pacifying the Beja people, the dominant local population. However, Italy's defeat at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 changed Kassala's fate. Italy was forced to evacuate the town after failing to hold it until the arrival of advancing Anglo-Egyptian forces, who re-occupied Kassala and incorporated it into Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.
In the early 1900s, a railway was constructed, first linking Kassala to the Red Sea port of Port Sudan—built in 1906 to replace Suakin—and later, in 1929, extending to Sennar on the southern frontiers of the Gezira Cotton Scheme. When the Anglo-Egyptian forces re-established control over Sudan, Kassala developed into a thriving trade center serving the Ethiopian hinterlands. Horticulture was introduced in the fertile lands near the Gash and Barka rivers, and the British later introduced cotton cultivation. The Kassala Cotton Company, a subsidiary of the Sudan Plantations Syndicate, played a role in these developments.
In July 1940, during the East African Campaign, Italian forces advancing from Italian East Africa forced the local British garrison to withdraw from Kassala. The Italians then occupied the city with brigade-sized units: on July 4, 1940 the Italians started their offensive with 2,500 men (and one brigade of cavalry) supported by 24 tanks, while to defend Kassala for Britain there were 1,300 colonial soldiers with their British officers who -after some initial heavy fighting- were easily defeated. The Italians later appointed as mayor of Kassala the future hero of Eritrean independence, Hamid Idris Awate. In mid-January 1941, the Italians withdrew from the city and a British garrison returned.
In 2003, Kassala's population was estimated at 530,950 inhabitants. The town is ethnically diverse, comprising groups such as the Beja people, Beni-Amer people, Amarar tribe, Bishari tribe, Rashaida people, and Halanga, as well as significant immigrant communities from northern and western Sudan, including the Fula people and Nuba peoples. The Ethiopian-Eritrean War (1998–2000) displaced an estimated 110,000 Eritreans refugees to the Kassala area, particularly from the border towns of Barentu and Teseney, which were overrun by the Ethiopian Army.
In 2025, during the Sudanese civil war (2023-present), Kassala had been involved in conflict for the first time since the war began 2 years ago. The RSF attacked Kassala with drones on 3 May 2025. The attack targeted the fuel storage area at the Kassala Airport. This attack marks the second furthest drone attack by the RSF from controlled areas by the RSF. RSF later attacked Port Sudan.
The Khatmiyya Mosque, built in 1840 by the Egyptians and damaged during the Mahdist War, is the city's most important cultural site. It is an important site for the Sufi Khatmiyya.
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