The drones being used in Sudan: 1,000 attacks since April 2023

Al JazeeraCenterEN 6 min read 100% complete by Hanna Duggal,Marium AliFebruary 3, 2026 at 07:24 AM

AI Summary

long article 6 min

Since the outbreak of Sudan's civil war in April 2023, both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have increasingly utilized drones, resulting in approximately 1,000 attacks. These commercially available unmanned aerial vehicles have significantly impacted the conflict, causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. The RSF, evolving from the Janjaweed militia, gained access to drones after deploying fighters to Yemen in 2015. Disagreements over integrating the RSF into the regular army triggered the war between Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF Leader Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo. The introduction of drones has altered the balance of power in the conflict.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Abu Dhabi ×230% Saudi Arabia 30% Yemen 30% Darfur 40% Abdel Fattah al-Burhan 40% Omar al-Bashir 40% Janjaweed ×560% Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) ×470% Sudanese Armed Forces 70% Rapid Support Forces ×780% Sudan ×690%

Keywords

drones 100% sudan civil war 100% rapid support forces 90% saf 80% drone warfare 80% unmanned aerial vehicles 70% janjaweed 70% civilian casualties 60% war crimes 50% paramilitary group 40%