A drone strike hit an area near Sudan’s main international airport in Khartoum early Tuesday, witnesses said, just a day before the army-backed government was set to reopen the facility for domestic flights for the first time in more than two years.
The airport has been shut 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.
The airport has remained closed since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leaving much of the capital’s infrastructure in ruins.
Witnesses told AFP they heard drones over central and southern Khartoum, followed by multiple explosions near the airport between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time (0200–0400 GMT).
One resident in the Al-Azhari neighborhood said he heard “the sound of an explosion and then a drone passed overhead,” while another in central Khartoum said he woke “to the sound of drones in the sky” before hearing blasts near the airport.
During a visit later Tuesday, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appeared inside the airport and said the army was “determined to crush this rebellion,” referring to the RSF, led by his former ally Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority had announced Monday that the airport would reopen Wednesday, with domestic flights resuming gradually after technical and operational checks.
Khartoum has seen relative calm since the army regained control earlier this year, though RSF drone attacks have persisted, targeting both military and civilian infrastructure.
Witnesses also reported drone strikes in northern Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum, where major military bases are located. “I saw three drones heading north toward Wadi Sayedna base and heard explosions,” one witness told AFP.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack, the third on the capital in a week. The army said most drones from previous strikes were intercepted.
The army-aligned government has launched reconstruction efforts and begun moving officials back from Port Sudan, where they relocated during the conflict. According to the U.N. migration agency, more than 1 million people have returned to Khartoum in the past 10 months.
However, large parts of the city remain in ruins, with frequent power outages linked to RSF drone activity.
Fighting has intensified in Darfur, where RSF forces have besieged El-Fasher, the last major city not under their control. The U.N. has warned of escalating violence across North and West Darfur, as drone strikes and ground clashes continue.
“We do not want any mercenary or militia to have a role in Sudan’s future,” Burhan said Tuesday.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced nearly 12 million people, and triggered what the UN calls the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.
