A drone strike near the international airport in Sudan’s capital Khartoum comes a day before domestic flights are to resume for the first time since the war began in 2023.
Residents of the city heard explosions in several districts early Tuesday morning. Social media images – yet to be verified by the BBC – show a series of explosions.
There are no reports of casualties or damage and no one has claimed responsibility.
Months after the army recaptured Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and began repairing the heavily damaged airport on Monday, Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority announced on Wednesday that the airport would reopen.
Tuesday’s strike marked the third attack in the capital in a week, following consecutive attacks on two military bases in northwest Khartoum last week.
The Sudan Tribune news website cited a security source as saying that anti-aircraft defenses had intercepted several drones after 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) but did not give details of any damage.
In April 2023, the international airport was closed soon after paramilitary forces took control of it following fighting between the army and the RSF.
Port Sudan, in the east, is the country’s only functioning international airport, although it has been targeted by drones.
Khartoum has been relatively quiet since the army took control of the city in March, but attacks have continued, with the RSF allegedly targeting civilian and military infrastructure from afar.
Since losing the capital, the RSF has intensified its efforts to capture al-Fashar – the last military stronghold in the West Darfur region.
The ongoing conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions from their homes.
The country has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis by the United Nations, which began as a power struggle between the army and the RSF, other Sudanese armed groups and foreign backers.
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