Sudan Accuses Ethiopia and UAE of Drone Strikes on Khartoum International Airport

Sudan’s army-led government accused Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates of involvement in drone strikes that targeted Khartoum International Airport and other sites in the greater Khartoum area on Monday, escalating a dispute between the two neighbors.

“The drone attack on Khartoum International Airport on Monday marked the latest escalation in a country torn by war for three years, and it also broke the relative calm that had prevailed in the capital in recent months”

Al-Jazeera Net

The National quoted an Emirati official describing the claims as “unfounded” and “deliberate propaganda,” while Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said it had recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations.

Al-Jazeera Net

Sudan’s military spokesman Brig Gen Assim Awad Abdel Wahab claimed the drone attacks were launched from Ethiopia in collaboration with the UAE, alleging UAE-made drones launched from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport struck Sudanese army positions across several states on March 1 and 17.

The Eastleigh Voice reported that Khartoum recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia following the escalation, as Ethiopia rejected the allegations as unfounded and politically motivated.

Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mohi al-Din Salem said, “We do not want to initiate aggression against any country, but whoever attacks us will be met with a response,” as the government pressed its case that drones were launched from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport.

Face2Face Africa said a Sudanese military spokesperson told audiences that authorities had gathered evidence linking four drone strikes since March 1 to Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport, and also alleged that the United Arab Emirates supplied the drones.

allAfrica

Ethiopia’s foreign ministry rejected the accusations, calling them baseless, and accused Sudan of undermining its territorial integrity by supporting rebels in the Tigray region.

The Eastleigh Voice quoted Ethiopia’s ministry saying, “Ethiopia rejects the latest baseless accusations made against it during the joint press conference by the Sudanese Armed Forces, Foreign Minister and military spokesperson,” while Ethiopia argued it had exercised restraint.

While the diplomatic dispute centered on Khartoum International Airport, Anadolu Ajansı reported a separate drone strike in southern Sudan that killed five people and wounded nine others in Kosti city, with the Sudan Doctors Network accusing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“5 killed in drone strike on fuel stations in southern Sudan, doctors group says Civilian casualties reported in Kosti city as drone attacks escalate amid ongoing conflict Adel Abdelrheem 05 May 2026•Update: 05 May 2026 KHARTOUM, Sudan Five people were killed, and nine others wounded in a drone strike targeting two fuel stations in the southern Sudanese city of Kosti, a local medical network said Tuesday, accusing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the attack”

Anadolu Ajansı

The same Anadolu Ajansı report said the strike targeted two fuel stations in White Nile State and described the incident as part of repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure, warning that continued strikes were worsening humanitarian and health conditions.

In Khartoum, the UAE and Ethiopia denials and Sudan’s accusations continued alongside claims that Sudan was weighing its response options, with Channel Africa saying Sudan reserved the right to respond at a time and place of its choosing.

The National also said the airport strike drew condemnation from several countries in the region and quoted US senior adviser for Arab and African affairs Massad Boulos calling for “such attacks must stop” and urging the warring sides to accept a humanitarian truce and move toward a permanent ceasefire.