A drone strike near Khartoum International Airport early Tuesday has raised fresh concerns over security and cast uncertainty on Sudanese authorities’ plans to reopen the airport for domestic flights after a 30-month shutdown caused by the nation’s ongoing civil war.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing drones over central and southern Khartoum, followed by multiple explosions between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time.
The attack occurred just a day after Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority announced that ”domestic flight operations would resume on Wednesday, October 22, following the completion of necessary technical and operational arrangements.”
The planned reopening was seen as a symbolic step toward recovery amid the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), marking what would have been the first resumption of operations at the capital’s main airport since April 2023.
In March, the army claimed “it had cleared the last RSF strongholds in Khartoum Province and regained control of the airport and surrounding areas.”
The latest strike, however, underscores the fragile security situation despite government assurances of restored order.
The civil war in Sudan has resulted in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with UN reports citing over 20,000 deaths and 14 million displaced persons.
Research from U.S. universities, however, estimates the actual death toll may be as high as 130,000.
