An area near the international airport in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, has been hit by a drone attack a day before it was scheduled to resume domestic flights for the first time since 2023, when war broke out.
According to the BBC, residents of the city reported hearing explosions in multiple districts early on Tuesday morning, as social media images appear to show a series of blasts.
Reports indicate that there is no information on casualties or damage, and no one has claimed responsibility.
Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority had announced on Monday that the airport would reopen on Wednesday, months after the army recaptured Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and started repairing the heavily damaged airport.
The strike on Tuesday was the third attack in the capital in the space of a week, after strikes on two army bases in north-west Khartoum on consecutive days last week.
According to the Sudan Tribune news website, a security source revealed that anti-aircraft defences had intercepted several drones after 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT), yet provided no details on any damage.
Shortly after fighting erupted between the army and the RSF in April 2023, the international airport shut down when the paramilitary force took control of it.
Port Sudan, in the east, has the nation’s only functioning international airport, despite the fact that it has been targeted by drones amid this attack.
Since the army reclaimed power of the city in March, Khartoum has remained relatively calm, but attacks have persisted, with the RSF accused of targeting civilian and military infrastructure from a distance.
Since the loss of the capital, the RSF has intensified efforts to capture el-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in the western Darfur region.
The ongoing conflict has claimed over 10,000 lives and forced millions from their homes.
What began as a power tussle between the army and the RSF has since drawn in other Sudanese armed groups and foreign backers, leading the nation into what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
