Target struck today in the early hours of the morning. No official statement on damage or delays.

Khartoum International Airport was the target of an attack carried out with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) in the early hours of today, Tuesday, 21 October 2025, less than 24 hours before the planned resumption of domestic flights that had been awaited for more than two years. Sudanese civil aviation authorities had in fact officially announced on Monday that the airport would gradually resume operations starting tomorrow, Wednesday, after a long closure imposed since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.

Eyewitnesses living in the central and southern areas of the Sudanese capital reported hearing the noise of unmanned aircraft between 04:00am and 06:00am local time, followed by loud explosions in the airport area. Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the actions are being attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group at war with the Sudanese regular army, accused of having repeatedly struck military and civilian infrastructure in the past.

Security sources indicated that the Army's air-defense systems intercepted several drones, but some nonetheless reached their targets, causing damage and panic in nearby neighborhoods, as confirmed by reports of columns of smoke rising from the airport perimeter.

At the time of writing neither the Defence Ministry nor government authorities have issued official statements regarding the exact extent of the damage or any casualties, leaving in suspense the confirmation or postponement of the reopening — a symbolic and logistical milestone crucial to the government's effort to restore normality in the capital.

Today's attack represents the third aerial incursion with armed drones against targets in the "Greater Khartoum" —the metropolitan area and the vast urban agglomeration that constitute the political, economic and cultural heart of Sudan— in the last week.

Below, video from Africanews, the first on the attack in the early hours of today. Further below, inspection by the authorities a few hours before the scheduled reopening. All set (or almost...) for the resumption of domestic flights, which was scheduled for tomorrow, 22 October 2025: