May 5 – Sudan’s military leadership has intensified accusations against the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia following a series of drone attacks that struck Khartoum and several other cities, deepening fears that Sudan’s devastating civil war could draw in wider regional tensions. The latest violence has disrupted a fragile sense of recovery in the capital, where government ministries, humanitarian agencies, and displaced residents had only recently begun returning after months of relative calm.
The Sudanese Armed Forces said the attacks targeted strategic and civilian areas, including Khartoum International Airport, which had resumed limited activity and welcomed its first international flight in nearly three years only days earlier. Sudanese officials described the strikes as a direct threat to national stability and warned that the country would not remain silent over what they called external interference in the conflict.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry quickly denied the allegations, calling them “baseless accusations” and rejecting claims that drones were launched from Ethiopian territory. The ministry also accused Sudan’s military leadership of undermining regional stability and supporting hostile groups near the border. Officials in the United Arab Emirates had not publicly responded by Tuesday to the accusations made by Sudanese military authorities.
Sudan Claims Foreign Support Behind Expanding Drone Campaign
Sudanese army spokesperson Brigadier General Asim Awad Abdelwahab said military investigators had gathered evidence linking recent drone operations to Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport. According to Abdelwahab, one drone intercepted in March reportedly contained information that connected its launch route to the airport and indicated links to the UAE.
He further claimed another drone connected to the same location was involved in Monday’s strike on Khartoum airport. Abdelwahab described the attacks as “direct aggression against Sudan” and said the military considered the incidents part of a larger campaign aimed at destabilizing territory now controlled by the army.
Sudan’s military government has repeatedly accused the UAE of supporting the Rapid Support Forces, commonly known as the RSF, throughout the civil war. Emirati authorities have consistently denied those accusations. Sudanese officials have also alleged in recent months that Ethiopia allowed military infrastructure near the border to be used for drone operations linked to the RSF.
The latest accusations come at a particularly sensitive moment for Sudan. Since government forces regained control of Khartoum in March 2025, authorities have attempted to restore normal life in the capital after years of intense fighting. Ministries reopened offices, aid organizations restarted operations, and some residents who had fled earlier battles slowly returned to damaged neighborhoods.
Witnesses in Khartoum said the renewed drone attacks shattered hopes that the city was entering a more stable period. Several residents reported hearing explosions near the airport and military installations late Monday, while security forces increased checkpoints across major roads afterward.
Khartoum International Airport has carried enormous symbolic importance throughout the war. The airport became one of the first major battlegrounds when clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF in April 2023. Images of destroyed aircraft and abandoned terminals quickly became symbols of Sudan’s collapse into chaos. The airport’s recent reopening had been viewed as a sign that authorities were trying to reconnect the country with regional and international travel routes.
Sudan’s Information Ministry stated that no casualties or major structural damage were reported at the airport after the latest strike. Officials said operations would continue once standard security and safety inspections were completed.
Drone Warfare Deepens Humanitarian Crisis Across Sudan
Drone attacks have increasingly become one of the defining features of Sudan’s civil war. Military analysts say both sides have expanded their use of unmanned aircraft as frontlines shifted and conventional battles became harder to sustain. The strikes have often targeted infrastructure, military bases, transport hubs, and urban neighborhoods, adding new dangers for civilians already facing famine, displacement, and disease.
Residents and activists reported that the latest wave of attacks extended beyond Khartoum. Witnesses said drones also struck Omdurman, the capital’s twin city across the Nile River, as well as al-Obeid in western Sudan and Kenana in the south over the weekend.
The activist network Emergency Lawyers reported that one drone attack in southern Omdurman on Saturday hit a civilian bus, killing five people. Local accounts described scenes of panic as emergency responders rushed victims from the damaged vehicle. Another strike on Sunday reportedly killed relatives of Abu Agla Keikal, a tribal militia commander aligned with the Sudanese army after previously defecting from the RSF earlier in the war.
Although the RSF has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks, many residents in army-controlled areas believe the paramilitary group is behind the escalating drone campaign. The RSF has increasingly relied on mobile warfare and long-range attacks after losing control of Khartoum last year.
The renewed violence also comes during growing political tensions within alliances connected to both sides of the war. Just weeks ago, senior RSF commander al-Nour al-Guba defected to the Sudanese army and arrived in Khartoum with fighters loyal to him. His defection raised concerns among political observers about possible fractures within RSF leadership and fears that rival factions could intensify attacks to strengthen their positions.
Sudan’s conflict began after disagreements between the military and the RSF over plans to integrate forces under a proposed democratic transition. What started as a power struggle between former allies rapidly evolved into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian disasters.
International aid organizations estimate that millions of Sudanese civilians have been displaced since fighting erupted in 2023. Large parts of the country remain without stable healthcare, electricity, or food supplies. The western Darfur region has become one of the war’s deadliest areas, while fighting has also expanded into Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border.
Observers fear the growing use of drones and accusations involving neighboring countries could further complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict. Regional leaders have repeatedly called for ceasefire negotiations, but repeated military escalations and competing political interests have kept peace efforts stalled.