Sudan’s army says it downed another FH-95 drone amid clashes with RSF

Sudan’s army said Monday that it shot down another Chinese-made FH-95 strategic drone near the city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan state amid ongoing fighting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement, the army said its air defenses intercepted the drone northwest of El-Obeid, the state capital.

The military did not identify who launched the drone, but the incident came amid escalating clashes with the RSF in North Kordofan, where the paramilitary group has intensified drone attacks in recent weeks.

The FH-95 is a Chinese-built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for reconnaissance, surveillance and electronic warfare missions, with an endurance of more than 24 hours.

The latest interception marks the fourth FH-95 drone the army has announced shooting down in less than a month, following similar incidents over Omdurman on July 7, Tendelti in White Nile state on July 2 and north of Tawila in North Darfur on June 23.

Sudanese authorities and international human rights organizations have accused the RSF of targeting civilian infrastructure with drones, causing civilian casualties. The group has not publicly responded to the accusations and says it seeks to protect civilians.

Last month, the UN warned of a sharp increase in drone attacks in the Kordofan region, saying at least 880 civilians were killed between January and April this year.

Since April 2023, the RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army in a conflict that has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing nearly 13 million others.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref