Sudan Events – Follow-up
On Monday, the Ministry of Defense stated that the UAE provided advanced strategic drones to the Rapid Support Forces, equipped with guided missiles, which launched their first attacks from inside Chad.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Saleh Aboud, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense, revealed during a press briefing attended by the Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Information, that “the UAE supplied the RSF with a new and advanced type of large suicide drones after the failure of the first version.”
Aboud explained that the UAE had delivered large quantities of these advanced drones to the RSF via Chad, through repeated shipments that entered through the Adre crossing, which links northern Chad to the West Darfur state controlled by the RSF.
He disclosed that the RSF used these large strategic drones for the first time in an attack on sites in Omdurman on November 24, using a drone that launched six missiles from one of Chad’s airports.
He clarified that the new drone has a body length of 3.2 meters, a wingspan of 5.3 meters, and can carry 50 kilograms of explosives. It is equipped with an anti-jamming device, whereas the first version of the drone was 3 meters long and carried a 120mm shell.
Aboud confirmed that the RSF and its backers, the UAE and Chad, have intensified the use of suicide drones to increase the chances of hitting targets, while also introducing strategic drones.
He emphasized that the RSF has started using new launch sites for drones in Kordofan, recently launching attacks on Atbara and Shendi in the Nile River state, Omdurman in Khartoum state, and Merowe in the Northern state.
He confirmed that all these attacks failed to achieve their objectives due to the success of anti-aircraft defenses and jamming devices in downing the drones, noting that the attacks only resulted in the deaths of many unarmed civilians.
Aboud added that experts from Abu Dhabi supervised the training of a large number of RSF fighters and mercenaries in locations within the UAE, Khartoum, and Darfur.
Foreign Minister Ali Youssef, in turn, spoke about the significant escalation by the RSF recently, intensifying attacks on civilians, describing it as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
He explained that the army has documented the use of long-range drones by the RSF in indiscriminate attacks targeting Merowe, Atbara, Khartoum, and Al-Fasher. He confirmed that these drones were assembled in the UAE and operated from Chad near the Sudanese border.
Youssef mentioned that the UAE had recruited thousands of mercenaries to support the RSF, considering that the ample military support provided makes the UAE a partner in the crimes. He also accused Chad and other countries of facilitating the transfer of weapons from Abu Dhabi to the RSF.
He confirmed that Sudan would use all legal means to ensure its security and protect its people from these blatant attacks.
For his part, the government spokesperson and Minister of Information, Khaled Al-Aseir, described the UAE’s provision of strategic drones to the RSF as a “dangerous development.”
He stated, “The war has taken a new direction with the appearance of strategic weapons launched from Chad, and we have compelling evidence of the UAE’s involvement.”
Al-Aseir explained that the RSF is using guided and smart missiles, confirming that the government possesses the wreckage of these drones along with their serial numbers, which are weapons that only countries possess.
He pointed out that the countries producing these drones require in their contracts with other countries that they not be leaked, which indicates international support that enabled the RSF to use these weapons.
He urged media institutions to remain neutral in covering the conflict, warning that there should be no leniency in taking strict measures against those who violate journalistic objectivity and violate national sovereignty principles.
