Sudan’s RSF amasses fleet of 43 attack drones in Darfur region
Yale University has warned that Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have amassed a fleet of at least 43 attack drones at an airbase in South Darfur, according to the Sudan Tribune on September 30th.
The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) released an emergency alert on the morning of September 29th. In the satellite imagery provided, the drones can be seen alongside 36 launchers stationed at the RSF-controlled Nyala airport.
According to the report, all 43 drones and 20 of the launchers appeared within the last three days, representing a “sign of imminent attack.” HRL warned that the build-up is a “clear and present danger to civilians, critical infrastructure, and humanitarian aid access.”
It also revealed that at least 23 of the drones appear to be part of the Shahed-136 family of “loitering munitions” drones, which are predominantly manufactured in Russia and Iran, using parts from various allies such as China, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies on May 13th.
A loitering munition, also known as a suicide or kamikaze drone, is a weapon that hovers in the air until it has acquired a target, into which it subsequently crashes and detonates.
The report also speculated on a potential supply chain. It asserted that the drones appeared to be Chinese-made models like the ZT-180 and Sunflower-200. It also cited reports claiming that a state-owned firm from the UAE, which is the RSF’s principal backer, signed a deal to manufacture the Sunflower-200 drone.
The UAE has been frequently accused of arming the RSF, and has allegedly often “intervened to effectively derail lifesaving humanitarian” from reaching areas in crisis.
The drones have a range of 1,500 to 2,500 kilometres, which puts the entirety of Sudan within striking distance. The report outlined that the very same Nyala airbase was used in a series of RSF drone strikes on Port Sudan, which is roughly 1,600 kilometres away from South Darfur.
The RSF, which has been at war with the Sudanese military since April 2023, controls almost all of Sudan’s vast Darfur region and has become notorious for frequent and brutal large-scale attacks that target civilians.
Most of the RSF’s militant activity in Darfur has been part of a campaign to seize total control of Darfur by defeating the last regional military stronghold, which is in the North Darfur state capital of El-Fasher.
The famine-stricken city has been besieged by the RSF since May 2024. HRL has previously issued warnings that the paramilitary group has turned the city into “a literal kill box” by constructing raised earth barriers around it to prevent residents from leaving and humanitarian aid from entering.
Sudan Tribune, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Maghrebi.org
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