El FASHER – The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, that its units had successfully shot down a Turkish-made “Akinci” drone over El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State. The group said the drone had been operating in the area during renewed fighting with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied militias.
According to the RSF’s statement, the drone had reportedly conducted a series of strikes days earlier on the Belbel Timbesku area, west of Nyala in South Darfur, killing more than 80 people and injuring dozens. The group accused the SAF of using such drones to target civilian areas, alleging that the attacks from part of a wider campaign against local communities across Darfur.
The RSF urged international organizations, regional bodies, and human rights institutions to take a firm stance against what it described as deliberate attacks on civilians. It called for global condemnation of what it framed as mass atrocities and violations of international law being committed in Darfur.
The report incident in El Fasher came just a day after intense fighting erupted across several parts of the city. Local media sources said Monday’s clashes were among the fiercest in recent weeks, as both sides continued to battle for control of strategic positions. The violence has once again underscored the fragility of the situation in North Darfur, where tens of thousands of displaced civilians have been trapped between warring forces.
The RSF attributed the aerial bombardments to the use of Turkish-made drones supplied to the SAF, which it claimed were being operated by Islamist factions within the military. The group argued that these strikes targeted areas without any military presence of its own fighters, suggesting they were aimed deliberately at civilian populations. It further linked the attacks to a broader pattern of ethnic and communal violence across Darfur since the conflict erupted in April 2023.
In its message, the RSF portrayed the use of drone warfare as part of an alleged plan to eradicate certain ethnic groups under the pretext of combating rebellion. It asserted that the airstrikes carried out in Darfur constituted war crimes and acts of genocide in violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.
Meanwhile, the SAF has not issued any official statement confirming or denying the downing of the drone. Attempts by Sudans Post to reach army media officials for comment were unsuccessful.
Residents of El Fasher reported hearing explosions and gunfire throughout Monday night and early Tuesday morning as the fighting raged on the city’s outskirts. Humanitarian sources described the situation as increasingly dire, with hospitals overwhelmed by casualties and displacement continuing at a large scale. Aid operations have been severely restricted due to ongoing hostilities and road blockades imposed by the RSF.
Alleged drone incident highlights the growing use of advanced weaponry in Sudan’s war, particularly unmanned aerial systems reportedly supplied through foreign alliances. Analysts have noted that they introduction of such drones has significantly shifted the balance of power on the battlefield, allowing the army to conduct precise strikes against RSF positions in urban and rural areas alike.
However, rights monitors have repeatedly warned that the growing reliance on drones in populated zones has resulted in a rising civilian death toll. Towns across Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum have seen an increase in aerial bombardments over the past months, many of which have hit market shelters and medical facilities.
As the conflict grinds on, both the SAF and RSF continue to trade accusations over attacks targeting noncombatants. The reported shooting down of the Akinci drone marks the latest episode in an increasingly destructive air war that has deepened Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe.
El Fasher remains a flashpoint in the conflict, with neither side appearing willing to halt operations. The city, home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, has faced repeated bombardments and ground assaults as the RSF attempts to consolidate control and the SAF strives to reclaim lost territory. The situation has left civilians caught in the middle of an intensifying war with no end in sight.
