DARFUR: More than a dozen long-range kamikaze drones seen near an airport controlled by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces during a major air assault on army territory in May indicate the paramilitaries have new weapons that could alter the course of the war.
The conflict between the RSF and Sudan’s army has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis over the past two-and-a-half years, drawing in myriad foreign interests, and threatening to fragment the strategic Red Sea country, a major gold producer.
Images and analyzes shared by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab and verified by Reuters showed 13 “delta-wing” drones alongside launching gear near Nyala airport in Sudan’s western Darfur region on May 6 this year.
Such drones, which are designed to crash into their targets, typically have a range of about 2,000 km (1,200 miles), a range that would reach anywhere in Sudan and far further than any other models the RSF was previously known to possess.
Yale assessed it was one of two possible Chinese models. Two experts contacted by Reuters said they could not confirm the manufacturer but agreed on the likely range. Similar models are also produced by companies in Russia and Iran.
