Deadly Drone Strike in Khartoum Just Before Airport Reopening

Wed Oct 22 2025 01:18:04 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A drone attack near Khartoum's international airport complicates efforts to resume domestic flights, as violence continues in Sudan's capital after months of conflict.

A drone strike has hit an area close to Khartoum's international airport, coinciding with the planned resumption of domestic flights following a protracted conflict that began in 2023. Despite the absence of claims of responsibility or details on casualties, this incident adds to the growing concern over security in the capital, which has experienced multiple attacks in recent days. The attack comes just ahead of the airport's reopening, which was expected to mark a critical step towards normalcy after extensive damage from ongoing fighting between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

A drone attack has hit an area near the international airport in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, a day before it was set to resume domestic flights for the first time since war broke out in 2023.

Residents of the city reported hearing explosions in several districts early on Tuesday morning. Social media images - yet to be verified - appear to show a series of blasts.

There is no information on casualties or damage, and no one has claimed responsibility.

On Monday, Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority announced the airport would reopen on Wednesday, months after the army recaptured Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and began repairing the heavily damaged airport.

Tuesday's strike marked the third attack in the capital within a week, following strikes on two army bases in northwest Khartoum on consecutive days last week.

According to a security source cited by the Sudan Tribune, anti-aircraft defenses intercepted several drones after 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) but gave no details on any damage.

The international airport was shut down shortly after fighting erupted between the army and the RSF in April 2023, when the paramilitary force took control of it.

Port Sudan, in the east, has the only functioning international airport in the country, although it has also been targeted by drones.

Khartoum has remained relatively calm since the army retook control of the city in March; however, attacks have persisted, with the RSF accused of targeting civilian and military infrastructure from a distance.

Since losing 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 led to tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions.

What began as a power struggle between the army and the RSF has since drawn in other Sudanese armed groups and foreign backers, plunging the country into what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.