RSF drone strikes hit Khartoum airport ahead of planned reopening

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Oct 2025 14:58
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The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have carried out coordinated drone attacks on Khartoum International Airport just before its planned reopening.

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Smoke rises above Khartoum as explosions rock the Sudanese capital following RSF drone strikes targeting key sites, including the international airport. (Social media)

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a series of drone strikes on key sites in Sudan's capital on Tuesday, targeting Khartoum International Airport and a power converter station, according to local media reports.

Witnesses cited by Sudan's Rakoba News outlet said they heard more than eight explosions in and around the airport area. The attack comes just days after Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority announced that Khartoum International Airport would reopen for domestic flights on Wednesday, its first operations in nearly two and a half years.

Local outlets described the assault as "an apparent attempt to disrupt the reopening of the airport after more than two years of closure."

Reports from the ground suggested that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) managed to intercept several drones, while others hit their targets, triggering panic in nearby neighborhoods. "There was chaos in the area as explosions went off one after another," a witness told Rakoba. Neither the army nor the RSF immediately commented on the strikes.

Hours after Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority announced the return of domestic flights to Khartoum Airport 🇸🇩, the RSF carried out a series of strikes utilising one-way attack (OWA) drones on the airport and other infrastructure in Sudan’s Khartoum. pic.twitter.com/hT85p6gsLG
— Rich Tedd 🛰 ✈️ (@AfriMEOSINT) October 21, 2025

Khartoum under fire

The attack marks a significant setback for the government's effort to restore normalcy in the capital, which has been ravaged by fighting since April 2023. The conflict between the RSF and the SAF has killed more than 20,000 people and forced around 14 million people from their homes, according to UN and local estimates.

Earlier this year, the army announced that it had recaptured Khartoum International Airport, along with several surrounding districts, after months of street battles. Tuesday’s assault, however, indicates that the RSF has retained its capacity to launch precision attacks even after losing ground in direct confrontations.

The RSF has been intensifying its use of drones and long-range strikes in key conflict zones, including the besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur, which remains under heavy shelling and siege conditions. Locals report that displacement has surged, essential services are collapsing, and the SAF's hold there is rapidly deteriorating.

The airport attack comes as the SAF faces mounting pressure on multiple fronts, underlining the cluster of threats to "normalization" efforts in Khartoum and elsewhere.

Fragile diplomacy

On the diplomatic side, the conflict in Sudan remains under intense international scrutiny. The European Union (EU) recently approved formal conclusions condemning the ongoing war and human rights abuses.

However, meaningful progress toward a negotiated settlement remains elusive. Mediation efforts led by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have stalled, while divisions among regional and international actors have slowed the formation of a unified peace initiative.

Sudan's leadership is also engaging regionally: SAF leadership held talks in Cairo with Egypt about the "Quad" roadmap (US, Saudi Arabia, UAE) to push for peace mechanisms, including air-lifts and monitoring.