A series of drone attacks has struck areas in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, including locations near the city’s international airport, mere hours before its anticipated reopening. This surge in violence was reported by local Sudanese media and corroborated by sources from ZezapTV.
Witnesses in central and southern Khartoum indicated that early Tuesday morning, between approximately 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time, they heard the ominous sounds of drones overhead. Multiple explosions occurred near the airport, which has been closed since hostilities erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has wrought significant damage to the airport’s infrastructure and hindered air travel in and out of the region.
Sudan’s Rakoba News noted that at least eight blasts were reported around the airport area and attributed the use of “suicide drones” to the RSF. Additionally, the Sudan Tribune, based in Paris, detailed eyewitness accounts of “plumes of smoke” ascending from within the airport’s perimeter. Some drones were reportedly intercepted by the Sudanese military, according to a local security source.
Witnesses also indicated that Omdurman, situated just north of Khartoum and home to several key military facilities, was affected during this drone assault. As of now, no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, and details regarding potential casualties remain unclear.
The timing of these aerial assaults is particularly notable, as Khartoum’s airport is poised for reopening after a prolonged closure stemming from the ongoing conflict. The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority announced that domestic flights would gradually resume following operational and technical preparations made in light of the developments.
In recent months, while calm has largely prevailed since the army regained control of Khartoum, drone attacks have persisted. The RSF has been repeatedly accused of targeting both military and civilian infrastructure.
Tuesday’s strikes mark the third instance of drone attacks on the capital within a week. Last week, drones targeted two military bases in northwest Khartoum, although military officials affirmed that many of these attacks were intercepted before reaching their targets. Following a counteroffensive, over 800,000 displaced citizens have returned to the capital, prompting the government to initiate a substantial reconstruction campaign. This includes relocating officials back to Khartoum from Port Sudan, where they had operated during the RSF’s occupation.
Despite these efforts, significant parts of Khartoum remain in disrepair, and millions continue to face power outages attributed to RSF drone activity. The most intense violence is now shifting to western regions, where RSF forces are exerting pressure on el-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur yet to fall under their control.
The scale of the conflict in Sudan has had catastrophic humanitarian implications, resulting in tens of thousands of fatalities, the displacement of close to 12 million people, and engendering significant food insecurity.
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