Drones target Khartoum airport, Sudan alleges Ethiopian involvement

By Rédaction Africanews with AFP, AP

A drone launched by Sudan ‘s paramilitary forces targeted the airport in the capital of Khartoum on Monday but was shot down before it could hit the target, airport officials said. Sudan accused Ethiopia of being involved in the assault.

It was the latest attack in the deadly war in Sudan, now in its fourth year, which has pushed the country to the brink.

The attack came just days after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed at least five people in a drone attack that hit a civilian vehicle on the outskirts of Khartoum on Saturday.

The airport officials said the drone launched on Monday was shot down by Sudan’s air defenses as it approached the airport from the south and caused no damage or casualties.

The military government confirmed the drone was intercepted.

Alleged involvement of Ethiopia
A military official told The Associated Press the drone was launched from a neighbouring country but provided no further details.

Sudan eventually recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia, accusing the country of involvement in the attack targeting Khartoum’s airport, the official news agency SUNA reported Tuesday.

The Sudanese military accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in March of launching drone attacks “from inside Ethiopian territory,” the first public allegation of Ethiopian involvement in the conflict.

Mohieddin Salem, the Sudanese army-aligned government’s foreign minister, “announced the recall of Sudan’s ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations regarding the UAE-Ethiopia drone attack on Khartoum International Airport on Monday,” SUNA quoted Salem as saying in a statement.

On Tuesday, military spokesperson in Sudan also said the government has evidence that four drone strikes that have happened since 1 March came from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport.

They also accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying the drones.

Spikes of violence in Khartoum
The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, but has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Salem “stated that it has been conclusively proven that the attack originated from Ethiopia, a country that is supposed to be a sister nation,” the statement added.

At Khartoum International Airport, flights stopped briefly but authorities said they would resume after routine checks.

The airport’s gradual reopening last year marked a key step in efforts to restore normal life in Khartoum, which was the epicenter of the war that broke out between the army and the RSF in April 2023.

In February, a commercial flight landed in the airport for the second time since the war began.

Khartoum has largely been spared attacks by the RSF since it was recaptured by the army last year, but it has recently seen sporadic strikes.