Satellite images show at least three drones and the construction of hangars at an airport in South Darfur held by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), evidence of the continuing stream of increasingly advanced weapons fuelling a devastating war…
Nyala is an RSF stronghold and a base for its offensive on the city of al-Fashir, the last holdout in the wider Darfur region controlled by Sudan’s army and its allies. The RSF has also targeted the nearby, famine-stricken Zamzam camp for displaced people, Drones have been used by both the paramilitary RSF and Sudan’s army as the two factions, drawing on foreign support, have battled each other in a conflict that erupted from a power struggle in April 2023.
The war has left tens of thousands dead and caused the spread of acute hunger and disease, The images, captured by Maxar, track the construction of three hangars over a five-week period between January and February, At least one drone first appeared at the airport on December 9, 2024, according to Maxar imagery analysed by source.
Analysis by the defence intelligence company Janes determined that the drones pictured are Chinese-manufactured CH-95s, capable of long-range surveillance and strikes at a distance of up to 200 km, Reuters could not independently confirm the identity of the drones or how they arrived in Nyala. Chinese authorities and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, which produces CH95s, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The army has previously accused the RSF of using Nyala airport to receive weapons from the United Arab Emirates, which it says has supplied drones to the RSF throughout the war, In response to a request for comment, the UAE foreign ministry said the UAE had “already made absolutely clear that it is not providing any support or supplies to either of two belligerent warring parties in Sudan”, and that it was focused on humanitarian relief.
