Sudan accuses Ethiopia over drone strikes near the border

Sudan has lodged complaints with the United Nations Security Council and the African Union's Peace and Security Council, alleging that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary is using Ethiopian territory to launch drone attacks against civilian sites in Sudan, including power stations. The claims have sharpened a long-running dispute between Khartoum and Addis Ababa and raised fears of a wider regional confrontation.

Key facts

• A Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs report, prepared with military intelligence, claims 70 assaults involving 187 one-way attack drones were launched from Ethiopian territory between February and October.
• October saw the sharpest increase: 28 attacks carried out by 97 drones.
• Between 15 February and 27 October, drone attacks killed 176 Sudanese soldiers and 484 civilians, according to a report by the Transitional Sovereignty Council.
• Named launch sites are Asosa Airport in western Ethiopia, the Kurmuk-Gizen border area and the Bahir Dar airbase in Amhara.
• More than 90 percent of power stations in Sudanese cities have been put out of service by drone attacks.

What does Sudan allege?

The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023. Sudan says suspected RSF drone strikes have heavily damaged civilian infrastructure in areas controlled by the army, and that the weapons used have long range and high destructive power, pointing to significant external backing.

Sudanese border affairs specialist Abdul Kareem Al-Almin Ahmed said the accusations between the two sides are near-constant. "The mutual accusations are many and almost daily," he told Al Jazeera, adding that some voices within the Sudanese army and allied forces have called for war with Ethiopia over the alleged interventions.

What has happened near the border?

A drone attack on displaced families in Wad el-Mahi, close to the Ethiopian border, killed 26 women and four children on 3 October. Another strike in Nyala, in Sudan's Darfur region, on 26 October killed at least 21 people and injured at least 40. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday that he was appalled by the use of drones in the war and condemned the toll on civilians.

Sudan is meanwhile dealing with the wider humanitarian impact of the war, with 13 million people already displaced and thousands at risk of famine.

How has Ethiopia responded?

Addis Ababa denies the Sudanese accusations and has itself accused Sudan's government of backing rebels linked to the Tigray People's Liberation Front. Disputes between the two countries also centre on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River, which downstream Egypt and Sudan say threatens their water security and breaches international law.

Badr Hassan Al-Shafei, a professor of African studies and conflict resolution expert, said fears of escalation on both sides are preventing an all-out confrontation. A direct fight with Ethiopia would stretch a Sudanese military already battling the RSF in the southeast of the country.

What this means for travellers

The reported drone activity is concentrated in the Sudan–Ethiopia border zone, including the Asosa and Kurmuk-Gizen areas and the Bahir Dar region, as well as Sudanese cities where power stations have been hit. Anyone planning travel through western Ethiopia or Sudan's border states should follow the latest developments and the security advice issued by their own government before setting out. The source contains no formal travel warnings or entry-rule changes.

No further diplomatic steps have been announced beyond the complaints filed with the UN and the African Union.