KHARTOUM, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The Khartoum International Airport and two military sites in the Sudanese capital were targeted on Monday by drone strikes, triggering explosions and sending plumes of smoke from various locations across the city, according to authorities and eyewitnesses.
The press office of Sudan's Ministry of Culture and Information said in a statement that a drone struck an area inside the Khartoum airport, confirming that no casualties or damage were reported.
It added that authorities evacuated airport staff and decided to close the airport for 72 hours as a precautionary measure, noting that air traffic would resume normally once routine procedures are completed.
An anonymous military source told Xinhua that similar attacks targeted the vicinity of the Signal Corps in Bahri, north of the capital, as well as the Al-Markhiyat camp north of Omdurman, with no confirmed information on the extent of the losses.
An eyewitness told Xinhua that three consecutive explosions were heard in eastern Khartoum, followed by thick smoke rising from inside the airport, while some projectiles landed in nearby residential neighborhoods.
The Khartoum airport received its first commercial flight on Feb. 1 after reopening following comprehensive repairs and maintenance due to severe war damage.
Large parts of Sudan are seeing a notable increase in the use of drones in military operations, amid warnings of their growing impact on civilians.
Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have been engaged in a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions of people inside Sudan and abroad, according to international estimates. ■
