Sudan Accuses Ethiopia, UAE of Drone Attacks on Khartoum Airport

Sudan has accused neighboring Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of orchestrating drone strikes on its main international airport in Khartoum, describing the assault as 'direct aggression.' The attack occurred on Monday, targeting both the airport and military installations in the Greater Khartoum area.

The drone strikes shattered a period of relative calm in Khartoum, which had begun to return to normalcy after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were pushed out by the Sudanese military last year. According to multiple reports, no one was wounded in the attack, though minor damage was caused to an administrative building near the airport.

The Sudanese army claimed it had 'conclusive evidence' that the drones were launched from Bahir Dar airport in Ethiopia. This accusation follows earlier claims by Sudanese military officials who accused the RSF of air attacks launched from inside Ethiopian territory in March. The army spokesman alleged that a drone, identified as Emirati property, entered Sudanese airspace from Ethiopia and was eventually shot down.

The UAE has forcefully rejected past claims of providing military support to the RSF. Meanwhile, Ethiopia's foreign ministry stated that Sudan and Ethiopia share a historic bond and called for dialogue between the warring parties in Sudan. The conflict has resulted in over 150,000 deaths and displaced twelve million people, creating what the UN describes as the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

On Tuesday, the Sudanese government recalled its ambassador from Ethiopia, accusing Addis Ababa and the UAE of being behind an attack on Khartoum International Airport that forced authorities to suspend operations for three days. Sudan’s military said it has evidence that four drone attacks have been launched from neighboring Ethiopia since early March, alleging that the UAE supplied the drones.

In a statement, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegations as 'baseless' and accused Sudan of fomenting unrest by funding rebels in the Tigray region – the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). It added that it had not publicised the alleged violations of its territorial integrity because the two countries share a 'historic and enduring bond of friendship.' A senior official with the TPLF, Amanuel Assefa, dismissed the federal government’s remarks and told the AFP news agency: 'We have no connections with the Sudanese authorities.' He said the government was blaming everyone 'but themselves for their failures.'

The UAE has not yet reacted but has repeatedly denied funding the RSF, a paramilitary group that has been at war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for more than three years. Last week, Khartoum International Airport received its first flight since the conflict began, marking a period of relative calm in the capital – now shattered by a renewed wave of drone attacks.

The government’s SAF retook the city from the RSF in March last year. In recent months, more than 1.8 million people have returned to Khartoum, but much of the city remains without electricity or basic services. Drones have become a central component of the war, which the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.