Sudanese Army Downs Drone Launched from Ethiopia

By Al Mayadeen English

20 Sep 2026 20:02

Sudan's army says it downed a third long-range drone in 24 hours on the Blue Nile front, again attributing the aircraft to the RSF and saying it crossed Ethiopian territory.

The Sudanese army said it shot down a "strategic, long-range" drone over the Blue Nile region on Sunday, the third such aircraft its air defenses have downed on that front within 24 hours.

The army's 4th Infantry Division said the drone belonged to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and entered Sudanese airspace over the Kurmuk sector after crossing from Ethiopian territory. Air defenses detected and downed it, the division said, with no casualties or material damage reported.

The Blue Nile region has seen intensifying clashes in recent weeks between the army and a combination of the RSF and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), with military movement reported around Kurmuk, Qeissan, and Damazin.

This is not the first time Sudan's army has reported intercepting drones it says came from Ethiopian territory. The army has made similar claims in prior incidents, and Sudanese authorities have repeatedly accused Addis Ababa of backing the RSF. Ethiopia has consistently denied these allegations.

RSF in Ethiopia

Sudan's accusations are not new, and independent reporting has added some weight to them. Reuters reported in February that Ethiopia had built a large camp near Menge, in the Benishangul-Gumuz region roughly 32 kilometers from the Sudanese border, to train RSF recruits.

The report, based on interviews with 15 sources, Ethiopian security material, a diplomatic cable, and satellite imagery, described more than 640 tents at the site as of November and said thousands of trainees, most of them Ethiopian, were being prepared for deployment with the RSF in Blue Nile.

A second site, an Ethiopian National Defence Force base near Asosa, has also drawn scrutiny. Analysis by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, reported by RFI in April, found activity at the base consistent with military assistance to the RSF, including technical vehicles, vehicle modifications, and expanded infrastructure around the airport. The base is formally an Ethiopian military installation rather than a declared RSF facility.

Ethiopia has rejected the accusations, saying it is neutral in Sudan's war and does not host RSF camps or facilitate attacks on Sudan. 

Army advances in North Kordofan

Separately, the Sudanese Army and allied forces have continued operations in North Kordofan after recapturing several areas in recent days.

Military sources said the army regained control of al-Jamama following clashes with the RSF and advanced toward Sodari and al-Mazroub in the state's northwest.

On September 17, the army and the allied Joint Force said they had recaptured around 11 positions in North Kordofan, part of an operation to expand territory under their control west of El-Obeid.