KHARTOUM – The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said it shot down an advanced drone in Blue Nile State for the second consecutive day, as the use of unmanned aircraft intensifies across several fronts in Sudan’s war.
Video footage released by the army showed what it said was the wreckage of the downed drone burning among dense trees in the Kurmuk area, near Sudan’s border with Ethiopia.
Abdel Ati Al-Faki, commissioner of Kurmuk, said frontline defenses in the area had intercepted a strategic drone for the second day in a row. He said the army retained the initiative and was operating with “professionalism and full vigilance.”
The army said on Sunday that it had also shot down a drone it claimed had entered Sudanese airspace from Ethiopian territory in the Dindro area of Blue Nile. Sudan Now could not independently verify the origin of the drones, their operators or the route they took before being intercepted.
The incidents come amid rising military activity in Blue Nile, particularly around Kurmuk, Dindro and Qeisan, where fighting and drone activity have raised concerns over the expansion of the conflict toward sensitive border areas.
Blue Nile has become one of several fronts where Sudan’s war is increasingly shaped by drones, cross-border accusations and attacks far from traditional battle lines. Local authorities in Kurmuk previously reported drone and artillery attacks over several days, saying some shelling came from a “regional neighboring area,” without naming the source directly.
Drone warfare has expanded sharply since the war between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023. Both sides have relied on drones for surveillance, long-range strikes and attacks on military positions, supply routes and urban infrastructure.
Earlier this month, the army said it had shot down two advanced drones in North Kordofan on the same day, one over Jabra Al-Sheikh and another in Gereighih, amid RSF attempts to target army positions after the SAF and allied forces regained control of strategic areas including Bara, Jabra Al-Sheikh and parts of the export road leading to El Obeid.
The growing use of drones has added a more technical dimension to the conflict, placing pressure on air defenses, command systems and supply routes. Military sources have also pointed to the use of more advanced drone systems in recent months, including long-range platforms capable of operating across wider areas.
The SAF’s announcement is likely to increase scrutiny of the Blue Nile front and the Sudan-Ethiopia border, where Sudanese officials have repeatedly voiced concern over cross-border security risks linked to the wider war.
