A series of explosions tore through an ammunition depot at a Sudanese military base north of Khartoum on Saturday, injuring two women and damaging nearby homes, as the army said it had brought the situation under control.
The blasts occurred at the Al-Kadro military facility in northern Khartoum Bahri, sending thick columns of smoke into the sky and triggering panic among residents.
In a statement, Sudan’s military said an initial explosion struck a storage facility belonging to its Weapons and Ammunition Corps on Saturday afternoon, followed by smaller detonations caused by friction between ammunition inside the depot.
The army said its personnel had contained the incident and secured the surrounding area.
Local sources reported that a fire had broken out inside the ammunition warehouse before the explosions, possibly because of an electrical short circuit. However, the military did not independently confirm the cause of the initial fire.
The explosions reportedly sent ammunition and projectiles beyond the military compound, with some landing in nearby unoccupied areas.
Two women sustained minor injuries, while several residential buildings suffered damage, according to local reports.
Residents described powerful blasts that could be heard across relatively distant neighbourhoods, with smoke visible from several kilometres away.
Conflicting accounts circulated on social media about the cause of the incident.
While local sources denied that the installation had been attacked by drones, social media accounts sympathetic to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) suggested that an attempted aerial strike had targeted the base.
Other unverified reports claimed that military air defences had engaged approaching drones.
There was no independently verified evidence linking the explosions to an aerial attack, and the army’s official statement made no mention of hostile activity.
The incident comes as displaced Sudanese civilians continue returning to Khartoum following shifts in territorial control during the country’s prolonged conflict.
Approximately 2.5 million people have reportedly returned to the capital, among an estimated 5.1 million returnees nationwide, following improvements in security conditions after the Sudanese military regained control of central Sudan and parts of North Kordofan.
