The Sudanese military said its air defenses had intercepted a drone attack targeting Khartoum International Airport on Monday.
Sudan accused the UAE and Ethiopia of involvement in staging the attack, recalling its ambassador to Ethiopia and stressing its readiness to respond to any threat.
Khartoum Airport Attack
On Monday, Sudan’s air defenses shot down a drone aimed at Khartoum International Airport before it hit its target, with no damage or casualties reported, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Drone attacks also hit other locations in the Sudanese capital, including residential areas, the Signal Corps base in Khartoum North and the al-Markhiyat training center in Omdurman, reported the Sudan Tribune.
Khartoum International Airport resumed operations in early February 2026, as part of the government’s efforts to restore normal life in the Sudanese capital, which the SAF recaptured in March 2025.
The recent attack came a day after an RSF drone strike hit a civilian vehicle on the outskirts of Khartoum on Saturday, killing at least 5 people.
UAE-Ethiopia Involvement
The Sudanese government on Tuesday officially accused the UAE and Ethiopia of complicity in the attack on the Khartoum airport, preserving Sudan’s right to respond.
In a joint press conference in Khartoum, SAF Spokesperson Brigadier General Asim Awad Abdelwahab Mohamed pointed to “documented evidence” indicating the involvement of the UAE and Ethiopia in hostile actions against Sudan.
The military official highlighted several attacks in March 2026 launched from Bahir Dar Airport inside Ethiopian territory against the states of White Nile, Blue Nile, and North and South Kordofan. These attacks involved drones bearing the serial number S88, owned by the UAE.
He also said that other incidents occurred from May 1-4, when a drone launched from the same location entered Sudanese airspace. It was tracked to the Jebel Aulia area, where it targeted Khartoum International Airport and other locations before it was intercepted.
The spokesperson called these actions a “direct act of aggression against Sudan,” stressing SAF’s readiness to respond to any threat in a manner that preserves the country’s sovereignty, security, and national dignity.
Sudan War
The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between the SAF and the RSF, triggering what the UN called “the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis.”
Recent data show that the conflict has killed at least 59,000 people and left around 11,000 people missing. It has also displaced 14 million people in Sudan and neighboring countries.
The UAE faces accusations from the Sudanese government and rights groups of supplying the RSF with weapons, mercenaries and political backing – allegations that Abu Dhabi consistently denies.
In response, Sudan severed all diplomatic ties with the UAE in May 2025, designating the Gulf country as an “aggressor state” and withdrawing its ambassador from Abu Dhabi.
Recalling Ambassador
During the press conference, the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Mohieddin Salem, confirmed the complicity of the UAE and Ethiopia in the attack on Khartoum International Airport, warning them that they “have chosen the wrong path and will regret it.”
Furthermore, Salem said that Sudan will recall its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations, stressing that his country is “ready to enter into an open confrontation with Ethiopia.”
He affirmed Sudan’s legal right to respond to the “aggression” in the manner it deems appropriate. “We do not seek to initiate aggression against any country, but whoever attacks us will be responded to,” the Foreign Minister noted.
Alarm over Drone Attacks
The UN has voiced deep concern over the increase in drone attacks in Sudan, which put civilian lives at risk.
“I can tell you that we are alarmed by the escalating drone attacks that continue to endanger civilians, with a wave of strikes reported across several states in recent days,” the UN Secretary-General Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said in a press briefing on Monday.
UN officials have repeatedly warned against the escalation in drone use in the Sudan conflict. On the war’s third anniversary in mid-April, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, noted that drone strike killed nearly 700 civilians in the first three months of 2026.
