Drone Strikes Target Khartoum Airport Ahead of Reopening

A drone attack struck the vicinity of Khartoum International Airport early on Tuesday, one day before Sudanese authorities were due to reopen the facility for domestic flights for the first time in over two years.

Eyewitnesses told AFP that they heard drones over central and southern Khartoum and multiple explosions in the airport area between 4:00 and 6:00 am (0200–0400 GMT).

The airport has remained closed since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leaving vital infrastructure across the capital heavily damaged.

On Monday, Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority announced that the airport would reopen on Wednesday, with domestic flights gradually resuming after technical and operational preparations.

While Khartoum has remained relatively calm since the army reclaimed control earlier this year, drone attacks have persisted, with the RSF repeatedly accused of targeting military and civilian infrastructure from a distance.

One eyewitness also reported drones striking northern Omdurman early Tuesday, an area hosting some of Sudan’s largest military installations.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the strikes, and no information on casualties or damage has been released.

Tuesday’s attack marks the third drone strike on the capital in a week. Last week, drones targeted two army bases in northwest Khartoum on consecutive days, although a military official stated that most were intercepted.

Following the army’s counteroffensive and recapture of Khartoum, more than 800,000 residents have returned to the capital. The army-aligned government has launched a wide-ranging reconstruction campaign and is gradually relocating officials back from Port Sudan, where they had operated during the conflict.

Large parts of Khartoum, however, remain in ruins, with millions still facing frequent blackouts linked to RSF drone activity.

The most intense violence is now concentrated in the west, where RSF forces have surrounded El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under their control. The paramilitary group has attempted to seize the city for over 18 months, making it the most strategically critical front of the war.

If captured, the RSF would control all of Darfur and much of Sudan’s south, while the army maintains dominance over the centre, east, and north.

The wider conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands, displaced nearly 12 million people, and created the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.

Key Details of Khartoum Drone Attacks