Militia Drone Attacks Target Khartoum Airport a Day Before Its Reopening
Khartoum – Sudanese Echoes
In the early hours of Tuesday, drones belonging to the Rapid Support Forces militia (RSF) attacked Khartoum International Airport and its surrounding areas, just hours after the Civil Aviation Authority announced that the airport would resume operations on Wednesday.
Security sources told Sudan Tribune that army ground defenses intercepted the drones that targeted the airport and nearby areas shortly after 4 a.m.
The sources refrained from giving details about any potential damage caused by the drone attack on the airport, which had recently undergone maintenance and rehabilitation work in preparation for its reopening to air traffic.
Neither the army nor the RSF have issued official statements so far regarding the attack on Khartoum International Airport.
According to eyewitnesses in neighborhoods near the airport who spoke to Sudan Tribune, they heard the sound of drones flying toward the airport, followed by explosions and loud blasts coming from its direction. Witnesses counted five drones, saying that the army’s anti-aircraft defenses engaged some of them and managed to shoot them down. Columns of smoke were seen rising from inside the airport after the drones were downed.
The Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority had issued a notice on Monday evening announcing the resumption of domestic flights at Khartoum International Airport starting Wednesday, in accordance with approved operational procedures.