Reports: The emergence of advanced suicide drones in the Sudan war raises questions about their source

The emergence of advanced suicide drones in the skies of the Sudanese war has raised questions about the entry of new weapons that could change the course of the conflict that has been ongoing for nearly two years.

According to analyses and data from the "Yale Humanitarian Research Lab," reported by Reuters, 13 Delta Wing drones were spotted along with launch equipment near Nyala Airport in Darfur, western Sudan, on May 6. The appearance of these drones and 16 launch platforms coincided with a series of attacks launched with a barrage of drones on the city of Port Sudan between May 3 and May 9.

According to several observers, the drones disappeared by May 9, while the launch platforms remained visible until early September.

This model of drones, designed to collide with their targets, has an operational range of about two thousand kilometers, meaning they can reach anywhere in Sudan. The report stated, "This range is much farther than any other models that the Rapid Support Forces previously possessed."

The Yale assessment also clarified that this model is "one of two potential Chinese models." On the other hand, Reuters reported that two military experts stated they "could not confirm the manufacturer"—noting that companies in Russia and Iran produce similar models—but they "agreed on the potential range of those drones."

This confirmation of the range aligns with other analyses conducted by the defense intelligence company (Jane's) and Vim Zwijnenburg from the Dutch peace organization (PAX), which confirmed that the images taken in May "showed long-range suicide drones similar to models produced in several countries with a range of about two thousand kilometers."

The emergence of these advanced drones comes as part of a strategic shift for the Rapid Support Forces, which have enhanced their air capabilities and increasingly relied on drone attacks, especially after losing territory in central and eastern Sudan earlier this year. Reuters had previously spotted three Chinese-made CH-4 drones with a range of up to two hundred kilometers at the same airport when the forces were launching attacks on closer targets.

The source of these advanced drones remains mysterious, especially since the Darfur region has been under an "arms embargo since the early 21st century due to repeated violations," and Yale researchers have been unable to determine how they arrived in the area.

In a recent development, the Rapid Support Forces launched drone attacks on the capital Khartoum this week, but it is still unclear what models of drones were used in these strikes.