Tensions flared again in Sudan’s war-ravaged capital, Khartoum, as a drone attack struck near the city’s international airport just a day before it was scheduled to reopen for domestic flights. The strike, which occurred early Tuesday morning, shattered the fragile calm that had prevailed since government forces reclaimed the capital earlier this year.
Residents across multiple districts reported hearing powerful explosions before dawn, and unverified footage circulating on social media appeared to show a series of fiery blasts lighting up the skyline. As of now, there are no confirmed reports of casualties or damage, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The strike comes less than 24 hours after Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority announced that the Khartoum International Airport would reopen on Wednesday for the first time since war broke out in April 2023. The reopening had been seen as a symbolic step toward normalcy after months of fierce fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) left the facility heavily damaged and grounded all air traffic.
According to reports by the Sudan Tribune, a security source said that anti-aircraft defenses intercepted several drones around 4 a.m. local time, but did not specify whether any had hit their targets. The incident marks the third aerial strike in Khartoum within a week, following attacks on two army bases in the northwestern parts of the capital on consecutive days last week.
The Khartoum International Airport had been one of the earliest casualties of the brutal power struggle between the army and the RSF when fighting erupted last year. The paramilitary force quickly seized control of the site, halting all civilian flights and leaving Port Sudan, in the east, as the country’s only operational international airport. Even that facility, however, has faced drone threats in recent months.
Although Khartoum has remained relatively stable since the army’s successful recapture of the city in March, the latest wave of attacks underscores how fragile the situation remains. The RSF has been accused of launching long-range assaults on both military and civilian targets, often from positions far outside the capital.
Meanwhile, fighting has intensified in Darfur, where the RSF is attempting to seize El-Fasher, the army’s last major stronghold in the west. The ongoing conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and devastated critical infrastructure across the country.
What began as a power struggle between two rival generals has spiraled into a complex civil war drawing in regional militias and foreign backers, leaving Sudan teetering on the edge of collapse. The United Nations continues to describe the situation as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with over 25 million people in need of aid and widespread famine looming.
Tuesday’s drone strike serves as a grim reminder that even as Sudan’s leaders try to project stability, peace in the capital and across the country remains painfully elusive.
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