Sudan Accuses Ethiopia And UAE Of Drone Attacks On Khartoum Airport

Sudan accused Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of launching drone attacks on Khartoum airport, and Ethiopia dismissed the allegations as “baseless.” Sudan said it recalled its ambassador to Addis Ababa “for consultation” after the attack forced authorities to suspend operations for three days, according to Al Jazeera. The BBC reported that Sudan described the assault as “direct aggression,” and said Sudan’s information minister told Reuters that no-one was wounded in the attack. Ethiopia and Sudan also traded accusations about violating each other’s territory and supporting insurgent forces, with Ethiopia’s foreign ministry accusing Sudan of backing “mercenaries” with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The dispute unfolded as drone attacks intensified across Sudan, including a strike that hit a fuel station in Kosti, White Nile state, killing three civilians and wounding two others, AFP reported via Adelaide Now.

“Read Today's PaperTributes News Breaking News Ethiopia and Sudan accuse each other of attacks Ethiopia and Sudan accuse each other of attacks 2 min read May 6, 2026 - 6:25AM AFP”

Adelaide Now

At a joint press conference in Khartoum at midnight on Monday, Sudan’s SAF spokesman Brigadier General Asim Awad Abdelwahab and foreign minister Mohieddin Salem accused Ethiopia and the UAE of being behind the drone attacks, with Awad saying, “We have strong and hard evidence proving the involvement of Ethiopia and UAE in this aggression against Sudan.” Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry rejected the claims as “baseless” and accused Sudan of fomenting unrest by funding rebels in the Tigray region, and it said it had “exercised restraint and refrained from publicising” violations of its sovereignty. The UAE denied involvement, and the Adelaide Now report quoted a UAE official saying the response to accusations was “unfounded accusations and deliberate propaganda.” Alan Boswell, Horn of Africa director at the International Crisis Group (ICG), told Al Jazeera that the accusations create “a very dangerous dynamic” and risk worsening internal challenges. Sudan’s army spokesman Assim Awad said drone attacks were being launched from Ethiopia in collaboration with the UAE, and he cited evidence from a drone shot down in El-Obeid, North Kordofan.

The airport attack came after a period of relative calm in Khartoum, which Al Jazeera said had shattered as renewed drone attacks resumed, and it followed the airport’s gradual reopening last year. Africanews reported that at Khartoum International Airport, flights stopped briefly but authorities said they would resume after routine checks, and it said the drone launched on Monday was shot down before it could hit the target. Reuters reporting via The Star said the airport received its first international flight in three years last week, but Monday’s drone attack again highlighted its vulnerability. Sudan’s foreign minister Mohieddin Salem said Sudan was ready to “enter into an open confrontation” with Ethiopia “if it becomes necessary,” while Ethiopia’s foreign ministry dismissed the allegations as “baseless.” With the conflict now in its fourth year, the sources describe a war in which drones have become central, and Al Jazeera cited UN figures estimating “more than 150,000 people” killed and “about 14 million” displaced.

“Sudan has accused Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of playing a role in the recent drone attacks on the country, warning that the aggression will not be “met with silence””

Al Jazeera