Sudanese Army Claims Down of Two Drones in Kordofan and Darfur

The Sudanese Army announced on Wednesday the downing of two “hostile” drones in the West Kordofan and East Darfur states. In a statement, the army said its air defenses shot down an FH-95 drone south of the Ayal Bakheet area in West Kordofan state, in the south of the country. In a separate statement, the army announced that its air defenses also shot down another drone of the same model southeast of the city of Al-Dueim in East Darfur state, in the west of the country. It added that this was “the second downing operation during the day, and the 29th operation in a series of hostile drones that our air defenses have managed to shoot down.” The army did not specify the time at which the drones were shot down. On Sunday, the Sudanese Army announced the downing of a drone of the same model east of the Wad Bandra area in West Kordofan state. It said this was the fourth drone it had shot down in the state within a week, following the announcement on Saturday of the downing of another drone of the same model in the Ayal Bakheet area. This drone is of Chinese origin, designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and electronic warfare missions, and is notable for its ability to fly for more than 12 hours. Sudanese authorities and human rights organizations accuse Rapid Support Forces (RSF) troops of targeting civilian infrastructure with these drones, although the RSF typically does not comment on the allegations, stating that it operates to “protect civilians.” Since October 25 last year, the three states of the Kordofan region—North, West, and South—have witnessed clashes between the Sudanese Army and RSF forces. The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese Army since April 2023, over a dispute regarding its integration into the military establishment, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Sudanese and the displacement of 13 million people.