Early-Morning Drone Attacks Rock Khartoum Ahead of Airport Reopening
Early this morning, explosions were reported near Khartoum International Airport as a series of drone strikes targeted key areas in Sudan’s capital. This incident comes just one day before the airport is scheduled to reopen after a prolonged closure due to ongoing conflict.
According to sources from the AFP news agency and Sudanese media, witnesses in central and southern Khartoum reported hearing drones overhead early Tuesday. Between 4 AM and 6 AM (02:00-04:00 GMT), multiple explosions were documented in the vicinity of the airport. The airport has been non-operational since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), resulting in significant damage to its infrastructure.
Rakoba News, a local outlet, cited eyewitness accounts of over eight explosions around the airport, attributing the attacks to the RSF and describing the use of "suicide drones." The Paris-based Sudan Tribune also reported on the drone strikes, indicating that witnesses observed plumes of smoke rising from within the airport perimeter. A local security source confirmed that some drones were intercepted by Sudan’s military forces.
In addition to the airport, Omdurman, located just north of Khartoum and home to several military installations, was also impacted during the strikes. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and details regarding casualties or damage remain unclear.
These drone attacks occur just before the Khartoum airport, which has suffered extensive damage during the conflict, is set to resume operations after more than two years. The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority announced on Monday that domestic flights would gradually restart following necessary technical and operational preparations.
While Khartoum has seen a relative calm since the army regained control earlier this year, drone attacks have persisted, with the RSF frequently accused of targeting both military and civilian infrastructure from a distance. Tuesday’s drone strikes mark the third wave of attacks on the capital within a week. Last week, drones targeted two army bases in northwest Khartoum, though military officials reported that many of the drones were intercepted.
Since the army’s recent counteroffensive and the recapture of Khartoum, over 800,000 people have returned to the city. The army-aligned government has initiated a comprehensive reconstruction effort and is relocating officials back to Khartoum from Port Sudan, where they had been operating during the RSF’s control of the capital. However, large sections of Khartoum remain devastated, with millions facing frequent power outages linked to RSF drone activity.
The most severe violence has shifted westward, where RSF forces have encircled el-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under their control. The paramilitary group continues its efforts to seize this city, prompting urgent warnings from the United Nations about the potential for large-scale, ethnically driven attacks and atrocities.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced nearly 12 million people, and has given rise to the world’s largest humanitarian crises, marked by displacement and food shortages.
