Sudanese air defenses intercepted drones targeting Khartoum International Airport on Monday, military and local sources said, as attacks intensify in the capital amid the ongoing conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
"Our air defenses successfully downed drones that were targeting Khartoum airport," a military source told AFP, adding that the situation was under control.
Witnesses reported hearing loud explosions and anti-aircraft fire across eastern districts of the capital, including Arkweet, Burri and Riyadh. Plumes of smoke were seen rising near the airport as defense systems engaged suspected drones.
Residents in the Safa neighborhood, east of the airport, said blasts shook the area, while videos shared by journalists and activists on social media appeared to show smoke billowing from the vicinity of the airport.
There was no immediate official statement from Sudanese authorities regarding the incident.
The latest attack comes just two days after a drone strike blamed on the RSF killed five civilians when it hit a vehicle west of Khartoum, according to the Emergency Lawyers group, a local rights organization.
Drone warfare has intensified in recent months as fighting between Sudan's army and the RSF continues to escalate. Both sides have increasingly relied on drones, with some strikes causing mass casualties.
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 over disputes related to integrating the RSF into the military, has plunged the country into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Tens of thousands have been killed and around 13 million people have been displaced.
Sudanese authorities and rights groups have accused the RSF of targeting civilian infrastructure, while the paramilitary force has generally not commented on such allegations, maintaining that it acts to protect civilians.
