Sudan accuses Ethiopia of allowing 70 drone attacks
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Dabanga
The Sudanese government accuses Ethiopia of allowing the Rapid Support Forces to launch 187 drones from its territory in 70 attacks against Sudan between February and October. Khartoum says the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure and that it has filed complaints with the UN and the African Union, Radio Dabanga reports.
The Sudanese government accuses Ethiopia of allowing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group involved in the war in Sudan, to use its territory to launch 70 drone attacks between February and October. Sudan’s Sovereignty Council says 187 drones were launched from suspected sites in Ethiopia, according to Radio Dabanga.
Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had submitted documents to the UN Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council. Khartoum says the strikes targeted civilian sites and critical infrastructure, causing civilian casualties and disrupting services. The Sovereignty Council named Asosa Airport and a base in Bahir Dar as alleged launch sites.
Sudan is asking Ethiopia to close facilities it believes are being used by the RSF and is demanding accountability and compensation. Addis Ababa had not responded at the time of the report. The Sudanese government also says drone strikes damaged 14 electricity distribution stations in several states, causing outages for a week.
Analysts cited by Radio Dabanga disagree about the strength of the case. Qureshi Awad believes Khartoum has not provided enough evidence to establish where the drones came from and sees the complaints as mainly political. Suhaib Hamid, by contrast, believes the detailed reports could strengthen Sudan’s position and encourage an international investigation.
The latest accusation revisits the case of drones allegedly launched from sites in Ethiopia, following the 162 attacks Khartoum denounced on 29 October and allegations about the launch of drones against Sudanese infrastructure, reported on 28 October.
