Sudan’s shift to drone warfare is fuelling a civilian crisis across the country

Drones reach residential areas

Residents of Imtidad Nasser, east of Khartoum, are facing a growing presence of drones overhead. Anti-aircraft fire and two large explosions shook the neighbourhood, killing three children from one local family.

The Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have both increased their use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Their strikes have pushed fighting into residential areas as each side seeks to wear down its opponent.

A changing battlefield strategy

Drone use is a relatively recent development in Sudan’s civil war, which is now in its fourth year. ACLED, a conflict monitor, estimates that at least 59,000 people have been killed; around 14 million have been displaced, including 4.5 million who fled the country.

The growing reliance on drones signals a move towards long-range, pre-emptive operations. The army sees them as a way to address difficult terrain and the RSF’s advantages, particularly across the long distances separating Kordofan from Darfur.

Abdel Rahim described Darfur as vast and separated from the army’s current concentration areas in Kordofan by desert and exposed roads. He said advancing by ground would be highly complex without major engineering, aerial and logistical support.

Both sides trade accusations

Didan linked recent RSF drone attacks on Khartoum to battlefield losses. He attributed the escalation to the killing of about 80 mobilised personnel in strikes in the Al-Dabbab area of West Kordofan.

On Monday, the RSF accused the military of drone strikes on markets in Nyala and Abyei, as well as a truck station in al-Dabbab. A Sudanese government official, speaking anonymously to Al Jazeera, said the army’s drone use was tactical and that it considered RSF military and logistical sites and supply lines legitimate targets.

Civilians bear the cost

The deadliest recent attack described in the report took place near a market in al-Dabba town, West Kordofan. A drone hit a transport hub there, killing 80 people.

The United Nations condemned the continuing strikes. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said the organisation was alarmed by attacks killing civilians, including children, and disrupting central services.

The weapons are linked to an international supply chain. They have been found to originate mainly from Belarus, Iran, China, Russia, Sudan and Turkiye.