Sudan has accused their neighbor Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of carrying out drone strikes on its main airport, calling the attack as “direct aggression.”
On Monday, the capital’s international airport, as well as military installations in the Greater Khartoum area, were targeted.
Recent drone strikes have shattered Khartoum’s era of relative tranquility, which began last year when the Sudanese military drove out the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
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Ethiopia has denied involvement in the airport bombing, calling the charges “baseless”. The UAE claimed that “unfounded accusations and deliberate propaganda” hampered efforts to end the crisis.
Sudan has recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia for “consultations” in response to the incident, according to Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem.
The attack left no one hurt, Sudan’s communications minister told Reuters.
Sudan’s army claimed to have “conclusive evidence” that the drones were fired from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport, according to the state-owned Sudan News Agency (Suna).
Sudanese military officials first accused the RSF of airstrikes launched from Ethiopian territory in March.
They said they monitored a drone, identified as Emirati property, as it entered Sudanese airspace from Ethiopia and eventually shot it down.
A Sudanese army spokesman said that they have linked another drone launched from the same airport to Monday’s attack.
Previously, the UAE has strongly denied providing military support to the RSF.
Responding to the recent claims, a UAE official stated that Sudanese authorities’ “fabrications” were “part of a calculated pattern of deflection – shifting blame to others to evade responsibility for their own actions”.
The latest attacks occurred just a week after the airport welcomed its first direct international commercial flight in three years.
Following the attacks, authorities were compelled to suspend airport operations for 72 hours.
The airport has been a crucial battleground in the ongoing conflict between the regular army and the RSF, which started in 2023.
Reuters reported in February that Ethiopia was holding an RSF fighter training camp and had refurbished the neighboring Asosa airfield for drone operations.
It said the move was backed by Ethiopia’s close ally, the United Arab Emirates.
Ethiopia denied the reports, as did the UAE.