Drones targeted Sudan’s army-controlled capital, Khartoum, and its airport early Thursday, witnesses told AFP, marking the third consecutive day of aerial strikes in the war-torn country.
Residents reported hearing the sound of drones over the city at about 4:00 a.m. (0200 GMT), with one witness saying they appeared to be headed toward military installations. Another said the unmanned aircraft flew toward the airport, followed by explosions moments later.
Since Tuesday, the Khartoum airport — which has been non-operational for more than two years — has faced repeated drone attacks allegedly launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023.
Authorities had planned to reopen the airport on Wednesday, but the decision was postponed “until further notice,” an airport official told AFP under anonymity.
Although the army retook Khartoum from the RSF in March after months of fierce fighting, the city remains in ruins, suffering from chronic power outages and persistent drone bombardments.
According to the UN’s migration agency, over one million displaced residents have returned to the capital in the past 10 months as the government attempts to restore essential services and relocate key institutions back from Port Sudan, which had served as the temporary seat of power.
Now in its third year, Sudan’s brutal conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced around 12 million people, and triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
