RSF Drone Targets Khartoum International Airport; SAF Air Defenses Intercept, Airport Closed 72 Hours

An RSF/UAE-supplied drone was intercepted by Sudan's air defenses on Monday, May 5, 2026 as it approached Khartoum International Airport from the south. The drone was shot down before reaching the airport; no casualties were reported and initial damage was described as minor. Sudanese civil aviation authorities announced a precautionary 72-hour suspension of all flights. The attack shattered weeks of relative calm in Khartoum and came just days after the airport welcomed its first commercial flight since the start of the civil war in April 2023 — a historic milestone now put on hold. Sudan's Information Minister confirmed to Reuters that no one was wounded in the attack. According to Sudan's military, between May 1 and May 4, a separate drone launched from Bahir Dar Airport in Ethiopia had entered Sudanese airspace, traversed the Jebel Aulia area south of Khartoum, and targeted Khartoum International Airport and other sites before being intercepted. On May 1, another drone attack was also reported near Jebel Aulia. Sudan presented evidence of four drone attacks since March 1, all originating from Bahir Dar Airport, using UAE-supplied loitering munitions. The wave of attacks on the airport represented the most significant escalation targeting Sudan's capital since the March 2025 SAF recapture of Khartoum.