Sudan’s armed forces have accused the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia of carrying out a drone attack targeting Khartoum airport, as a renewed wave of strikes shattered months of relative calm in the capital nearly three years into the civil war.
The Sudanese military said Monday’s attack was part of a broader barrage of drone strikes in recent days. Reuters was unable to independently verify the claims, and neither the UAE nor Ethiopia immediately commented.
Sudan has repeatedly accused the UAE of backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a charge the Gulf state denies. Earlier this year, it also accused Ethiopia of involvement in the conflict.
Residents told Reuters that strikes since Friday had hit both military positions and civilian areas in Khartoum, where people, government ministries and international agencies had begun returning after the army reasserted control of the city in March.
Witnesses said Monday’s drone attack struck Khartoum International Airport, the site of some of the earliest clashes between the army and the RSF in April 2023. The airport had received its first international flight in three years just last week.
An army spokesperson said authorities had evidence that drones involved in attacks across several states since March had taken off from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport. He said a drone downed in mid-March was linked to both Ethiopia and the UAE, adding that another drone launched from the same location was connected to Monday’s strike. He warned the alleged actions would not go unanswered.
Khartoum International Airport has been repeatedly affected since Sudan’s war began in April 2023, when fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces first erupted at the site, forcing its closure and grounding civilian aircraft.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, the airport sustained damage from shelling and air strikes as control of the capital shifted back and forth. In March 2025, Sudan’s armed forces said they had regained control of the area, allowing limited assessments and preparations for reopening. The airport received its first international flight in three years last week, but Monday’s drone attack again highlighted its vulnerability.
Residents, speaking anonymously, said they believed the RSF was responsible for the latest attacks. The group has not commented.
Sudan’s information ministry said no one was injured in the airport incident and that operations would resume after routine safety checks.
Drone warfare has become a central feature of the conflict, which the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by violence, hunger and disease, and millions have been displaced.
Over the weekend, drones struck the neighbouring city of Omdurman, as well as al-Obeid to the west and Kenana to the south. At least five civilians were killed when a drone hit a bus in southern Omdurman on Saturday, according to an activist group.
The UN refugee agency said transport costs to Sudan had more than doubled after the Iran war disrupted shipping routes and drove up fuel prices and insurance premiums.
Aid previously shipped via the Strait of Hormuz is now being rerouted through Jordan and Oman, while sailing around the Cape of Good Hope would add weeks to delivery times.
Relations between Sudan and the UAE have deteriorated further after Emirati prosecutors referred Sudan’s army chief of staff and other defendants to a state security court over an alleged attempt to move ammunition through UAE territory to the Sudanese military.
The UAE said millions of rounds of ammunition were intercepted before transfer, while Sudan’s armed forces have previously rejected similar allegations as fabricated. The war, driven by a power struggle between the army and the RSF, continues across several fronts despite shifting territorial control.
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The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
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