A drone attack struck near Khartoum International Airport early Tuesday, witnesses said, a day before the facility was scheduled to partially reopen amid Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting for control of the country since April 2023, and the airport has been closed since the conflict began. The army-aligned government announced plans Monday to resume domestic flights on Wednesday after completing technical preparations.
According to AFP, witnesses in central and southern Khartoum reported hearing drones and explosions in the airport area from approximately 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. local time.
“I was woken at 4 a.m. to the sound of drones in the sky. Shortly after, we heard loud explosions in the direction of the airport,” a resident of central Khartoum told AFP.
Another witness in the Al-Azhari neighborhood in southern Khartoum said he heard an explosion and then saw a drone pass overhead.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strikes. The RSF has repeatedly been accused of using drones to target military and civilian infrastructure, but the group typically does not publicly claim such attacks. No information on casualties or damage was released.
Tuesday’s incident marks the third drone attack on the capital in a week. A military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, said last week that most of the drones targeting two army bases were intercepted.
While the army has reclaimed control of much of Khartoum this year, allowing over 800,000 residents to return, drone attacks have persisted. The paramilitary force retains a strong presence in the wider capital region and in western Sudan.
The attack near the airport underscores the challenges facing the government’s reconstruction campaign. Large parts of Khartoum remain in ruins, and millions in the city experience frequent blackouts that authorities blame on RSF drone activity.
Elsewhere in the capital, a witness also reported drones bombing northern Omdurman, an area that hosts major military installations. “I saw three drones heading north towards Wadi Sayedna base and I heard the sound of explosions,” the witness said.
The most intense fighting has now shifted to the western region of Darfur. The RSF has surrounded El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under its control, leading to a critical and protracted battle.
The United Nations warned Monday of escalating violence in North and West Darfur, with drone strikes and ground clashes reported across the regions.
The wider war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million, and created the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.