Sudanese Armed Forces Accuse United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia of Drone Strikes on Khartoum International Airport

SUDAN — Sudanese authorities reported drone strikes on May 4 targeting Khartoum International Airport and additional sites in the capital, part of a barrage that followed the Sudanese Armed Forces recapture of Khartoum in March of last year, and the airport’s first international flight in three years the previous week.

Brigadier General Asim Awad Abdelwahab, Sudanese Armed Forces spokesman, stated at a May 5 press conference alongside Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem that the government possessed “conclusive evidence” linking the strikes to drones launched from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar Airport with Emirati support.

The spokesman referenced flight data, wreckage from an Akinci-type unmanned combat aerial vehicle, and intelligence from a drone downed near El-Obeid in March that Sudanese forces linked to the same launch site and to the United Arab Emirates. Independent open-source verification of the wreckage type and launch origin has not been published.

The Sudanese government attributed the strikes to foreign actors. While some reports attributed the May 4 strikes to Rapid Support Forces drone capabilities, no independent forensic verification of drone origin has been published.

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, which suspended operations in April of 2023 due to the armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, issued its alert on May 4 that said, “The Department of State has been alerted to multiple explosions at the international airport in Khartoum Monday, May 4, 2026. Other locations may have been impacted as well.”

The embassy reiterated that the U.S. government cannot provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Sudan. Recommended actions include seeking secure shelter, monitoring local media, notifying friends and family of safety, and making contingency plans to leave.

Contact points listed are the U.S. Embassy in Cairo at +20-2-2797-3300 and the U.S. Department of State at +1-888-407-4747 from the United States and Canada or +1-202-501-4444 from elsewhere in the world.

Sudan: Drone Struck Inside Khartoum International Airport

Sudanese Ministry of Culture and Information stated that a drone struck an area inside Khartoum International Airport. Authorities evacuated staff, closed the airport for 72 hours as a precautionary measure, and reported no casualties or damage. Air traffic would resume after routine safety procedures.

Sudanese officials announced the recall of their ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations and reserved the right to respond “at a time and place of its choosing.”

Ethiopian authorities have rejected similar prior accusations of allowing drone launches from its territory, describing them as baseless and affirming neutrality in the Sudanese conflict.

The United Arab Emirates has denied allegations of direct military involvement or arms support to either side in Sudan’s civil war and has condemned attacks on civilian infrastructure in previous statements.

Strategic Assessment

The Sudanese government presented physical wreckage and flight data at the May 5 press conference. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations as false and summoned the Sudanese ambassador.

Official Statements

• U.S. Embassy Khartoum, May 4, 2026: “The Department of State has been alerted to multiple explosions at the international airport in Khartoum Monday, May 4, 2026. Other locations may have been impacted as well.”

• Brigadier General Asim Awad Abdelwahab, Sudanese Armed Forces spokesman, May 5, 2026: “What Ethiopia and the UAE have done is direct aggression against Sudan and won’t be met with silence.”