Sudan’s army air defenses intercepted a wave of drones launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces against five cities across the country on Wednesday, military sources and witnesses said.
The attacks targeted Omdurman and Bahri in the capital, Khartoum, as well as Atbara and Al-Damar in River Nile State and El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, according to military sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Witnesses said swarms of drones were seen flying over Omdurman and Bahri before army air defenses engaged them, with explosions heard in several areas. Anti-aircraft fire was also reported over Atbara and Al-Damar, while the army said it shot down a drone over El-Obeid.
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show drones over the affected cities, with some shown crashing into residential areas. No immediate information was available on casualties or damage, and neither Sudanese authorities nor the RSF had commented as of early Wednesday.
A local outlet, Sudan News, said the drone launches coincided with recent battlefield setbacks for the RSF in the Kordofan region, where the army has stepped up operations in recent weeks, and suggested the strikes were intended to boost the morale of RSF fighters — a claim that could not be independently verified.
The attacks come as the Sudanese army expands its offensive in Kordofan, where it says it has retaken a series of towns and strategic positions from the RSF after consolidating control of Khartoum earlier this year. The two sides have relied increasingly on drone warfare during the more than three-year-old conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, with rights groups documenting mounting civilian casualties from strikes by both sides.
