Sudanese Armed Forces: ‘Drones that targeted Khartoum were Emirati, launched from Bahir Dar, Ethiopia’

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry accuses the UAE and Ethiopia of involvement in drone attack on Khartoum airport yesterday. Sudan summons its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations and threatens “to retaliate in kind”.

The Sudanese government has officially accused the UAE and Ethiopia of involvement in the drone attack on Khartoum airport on Monday, threatening to retaliate in kind. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Mohi El Din Salem, the Minister of Culture, Information, Antiquities and Tourism, Professor Khaled El Aisar, and the official spokesman for the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Assem Awad Abdel Wahab, confirmed that there is conclusive evidence obtained by the government and the competent authorities confirming the occurrence of the aggression, in addition to new evidence of a number of violations carried out by Emirati drones taking off from Bahir Dar Airport in Ethiopia during the past period of this year.

Sudan’s ambassador summoned

Foreign Minister and International Cooperation Minister, Ambassador Mohi El Din Salem, announced that the Sudanese ambassador to Ethiopia had been summoned for consultations regarding what he described as the Emirati-Ethiopian drone attack on Khartoum International Airport on Monday, stressing that the Sudanese government would add new evidence and proof to the case filed against the UAE at the UN Security Council.

He said, in a joint press conference in Khartoum yesterday, that it has been proven beyond a doubt that the aggression was launched from the state of Ethiopia, which should be a sister state.

He added that the recent voluntary return to Khartoum had angered the “enemies,” hence the attacks today, directing a message to the UAE and Ethiopia that they had chosen the wrong path and would regret it.

He explained that the Ethiopian government had disregarded the relations between the two countries, emphasing Sudan’s readiness to retaliate in kind, and that Sudan has the legal right to respond in the manner and form it deems appropriate.

He added, “We do not want to initiate aggression against any country, but whoever attacks us will be met with a response.”

‘Drones launched from Bahir Dar’

The official spokesman for the SAF, Brig Gen Asim Awad Abdelwahab, said in a statement he read during the joint press conference that, based on information he described as documented and supported by conclusive evidence from official agencies and various means, hostile air sorties began on the first of March of this year with three drones from Bahir Dar Airport in Ethiopia, targeting the states of White Nile, Blue Nile, North Kordofan, and South Kordofan.

He confirmed that on March 17, one of these drones was dealt with by air defences and shot down, noting that its data was analysed and contact was made with the manufacturer, who reported that the drone, bearing the number (S88), was owned by the United Arab Emirates and was operated from within Ethiopian territory, specifically from Bahir Dar Airport.

He explained that the data showed its entry path into Sudanese airspace, and that it carried out several attacks in the Kurmuk area of ​​the Blue Nile, in addition to sites in the states of North and South Kordofan, before it was shot down north of the city of El Abyad.

He added that between the first and fourth of May, another march set off again from Bahir Dar Airport, and penetrated Sudanese airspace, where it was tracked until it reached the Jabal Awliya area, and targeted Khartoum International Airport and other areas, and was confronted.

The official spokesperson affirmed that this evidence proves that what Ethiopia and the UAE have done constitutes a direct aggression against Sudan, and will not be met with silence, noting that the armed forces are fully prepared to deal with any threat in a way that preserves the dignity, sovereignty, and security of the nation.

The Minister of Culture and Information said during the joint press conference that Khartoum International Airport, which was targeted, is a civilian facility, and will resume its activity as soon as the technical procedures related to safety, which are being implemented by the Civil Aviation Authority, are completed.

The Khartoum State government revealed that two brothers were injured when their house was bombed in Nasser Extension, Block 5.

The Governor of Khartoum, Professor Ahmed Othman Hamza, visited the family of Karam Hasab El Rasoul in the Nasser Extension Square area this evening, noting that their condition is stable.

Egyptian condemnation

Egypt has strongly condemned the targeting of Khartoum International Airport using drones, considering it a flagrant violation of Sudan’s sovereignty, a threat to the safety of civilian facilities, an infringement on the capabilities of the Sudanese people, as well as a dangerous escalation that complicates the security and humanitarian situation.

Egypt expressed concern about the increasing pace of attacks, which are believed to have originated from the territory of a neighbouring country, referring to Ethiopia, warning of the widening scope of the conflict and the regional repercussions, which would hinder international efforts to reach a humanitarian truce that would pave the way for a ceasefire and the launch of a comprehensive political process under Sudanese ownership.

UN concern

The United Nations has expressed grave concern over the escalating drone attacks that continue to endanger civilians, noting a wave of strikes in several Sudanese states in recent days.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the downing of a drone over Khartoum airport led to the cancellation of flights, noting that the airport is a vital artery for the arrival of humanitarian aid.

He noted civilian casualties in the states of El Gezira, White Nile, and North Kordofan, in addition to damage to civilian facilities and headquarters of humanitarian organisations, especially in Darfur.

US warning

The US State Department urged its citizens in Sudan to remain in safe places until further notice, following the attacks on Khartoum International Airport.

The ministry said in a statement that it had received reports of several explosions inside the airport, and that the attacks may have affected other facilities, calling on its citizens to take the necessary precautions and follow official updates.