Khartoum — A drone attack, presumably launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Monday, targeted Khartoum Airport and surrounding areas for the first time since last October. Initial reports suggest that the main terminal was not hit. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that they saw plumes of smoke after the drone strikes, adding that another attack targeted the nearby Obeid Khatim Street, areas south of Khartoum, and El Murkhiyat military base in Omdurman. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says that its operations have not been affected.
Sources indicated that the airport and its surroundings were targeted by four drones, amid unconfirmed reports about the radar being hit, while an airport worker said that the main terminal was safe and had not been targeted.
The attack coincided with the arrival of a Badr Airlines passenger plane from Cairo, carrying civilians, landing at Khartoum airport for the first time in three years.
This is the first such attack since last October, when authorities suspended the start of domestic flights to the airport before later resuming them.
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World Food Programme operations not affected
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) stated that its humanitarian operations were not affected by the drone attack on Khartoum airport earlier today.
A spokesperson for the program told Radio Dabanga that the World Food Programme's operations were unaffected and that all its staff were safe after reports of an attack near Khartoum airport.
He added: "We continue to monitor the situation and will take the necessary measures to adjust our operations as circumstances require to ensure the safety and security of our employees and partners who benefit from our services."
At the end of last February, the first UN aircraft landed at Khartoum airport, coming from Port Sudan, after a hiatus of about three years.
The United Nations expressed grave concern over the escalating drone attacks that continue to endanger civilians, noting a wave of strikes in several Sudanese states in recent days.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the downing of a drone over Khartoum airport led to the cancellation of flights, noting that the airport is a vital artery for the arrival of humanitarian aid.
Initial allegations suggest that the drones might have been launched from Ethiopian territory. Radio Dabanga will continue to cover this developing story.
