File image.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said on July 7 that it shot down a Chinese-made FH-95 combat drone over the North Kordofan State.
The military, which is allied to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, have been engaged in a power struggle with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), backed by the United Arab Emirates, for more than three years now.
In a statement, the SAF said that its “air defenses” intercepted the drone around midday north of the al-Andaraba area along the Export Road linking the cities of Bara and Omdurman, west of the capital, Khartoum.
The military did not identify who launched the FH-95, but the RSF is the only known operator of this type of drones in Sudan.
The FH-95 was developed by Aerospace Times Feihong Technology Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The combat drone has an operational range of 2,500 kilometers, an endurance of 24 hours and a service ceiling of over 42,000 feet. It first appeared with the RSF more than a year ago, with reports at the time suggesting that the UAE was the supplier.
While the SAF said that the FH-95 was shot by “air defenses,” video footage the surfaced online later revealed that the drone was in fact intercepted by another combat drone, a Turkish-made Akıncı.
The Akıncı, developed by Bayraktar, has an operational range of 7,500 kilometers, an endurance of up to 25 hours and a service ceiling of over 40,000 feet.
The SAF have been operating Akıncı drones for well over a year. Satellite imagery from last February also showed that Akıncıs based at Sharq El Owainat Airport in Egypt — and possibly operated directly by Turkey — have been supporting the military.
This incident marks the fourth time an Akıncı supporting the SAF has shot down an RSF drone. Two of the drones shot down previously were also Akıncıs, reportedly supplied by the UAE and operated from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport in support of the RSF. The third drone was, however, an FH-95.
EREN high-speed loitering munitions were used to take down all three previous drones. However, a different unidentified munition was used in the latest downing.
Tensions have been on the rise between the SAF and the RSF in North Kordofan, where international organizations have warned of possible atrocities against civilians as the RSF builds up forces around El-Obeid, the state capital and a major humanitarian hub.
A Sudanese rights group warned on July 7 that 15 civilians were killed in two drone strikes in North Kordofan over the past two days.
According to the independent Emergency Lawyers group, a drone struck a civilian vehicle transporting water near a water source in the Hamrat al-Sheikh area, killing two people. A second drone strikes hit a civilian vehicle carrying people to a wedding in the town of al-Shatout, east of Jabra al-Sheikh, killing 13 civilians, including five women, the group added.
The organization did not identify who was responsible for the two attacks. With both sides operating similar drones, it has become harder to determine.
The war in Sudan is clearly heading towards a serious escalation. There have been no real diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict between the SAF and RSF. Advanced weapons are still finding their way to both sides, especially those made in Turkey.
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