‘You cannot hide from a drone strike’: The terror falling from the sky in Sudan

Living Under the Shadow: How Drones Are Transforming Sudan’s Civil War

Activelifezero.com – For Ahmado, a 42-year-old sewage truck operator, the morning began with ordinary routine. His nine-year-old son had just finished school and came to find him at work. Then the sky exploded. A drone strike descended upon a cluster of water trucks, claiming the young boy’s life alongside two of Ahmado’s fellow drivers. “My day had started like any other day. There were drones flying over our heads, but I never imagined that my child or I would become a target,” Ahmado recounted to CNN. His family spent hours searching through the wreckage before locating their son’s remains inside the charred vehicle once the flames subsided.

Not far away, another victim of that same devastating attack was Elsadig. At just 27 years old, he now carries the permanent mark of war. Sitting at a water truck station in late June, he watched helplessly as a drone strike severed his left leg. Together, these two men represent the new terror gripping El-Obeid, a vital trade and humanitarian center housing over half a million residents.

“You cannot hide from a drone strike,” says Elsadig. For the 27-year-old, that is the terrifying reality of life in Sudan’s besieged city of El-Obeid, where even the simplest routines carry the threat of sudden death.

While much of Sudan’s three-year civil war kept civilians safe from ground combat, El-Obeid’s residents now dread what descends from above. “When we hear that there is a drone in the air, we try to take cover under a concrete building,” Elsadig explained. “But it comes suddenly — we do not know when or where (it will strike).” CNN is using only first names for both survivors because they fear for their lives.

A War Reshaped from Above

The conflict that erupted in April 2023 between former allies has fundamentally changed. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo—better known as Hemedti, head of the Rapid Support Forces—had seized power together following a 2021 coup. Their subsequent power struggle transformed into a devastating civil war that has displaced more than 14 million people and killed tens of thousands.

Now, foreign-made drones are flooding into Sudan, pushing the conflict toward what the United Nations calls “yet another new, even deadlier phase.” During just the first four months of 2026, drone attacks killed at least 880 civilians, representing over 80 percent of all civilian deaths documented by UN officials. What began as ground fighting has evolved into an aerial battle.

Both military factions have dramatically expanded their drone capabilities, incorporating everything from modified commercial aircraft to sophisticated military systems. According to Africa Defense Forum, a publication by the United States Africa Command, each side has “shifted their tactics to airborne weapons and away from ground forces, which have largely reached a stalemate.”

Turkey has emerged as a key supplier to the SAF, providing Bayraktar TB2 drones capable of extended flights, carrying explosives, and operating at relatively low cost. These aircraft helped the Sudanese army drive the RSF from Khartoum last year. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted SAF chief al-Burhan in Ankara recently, with Turkey affirming its support for Sudan’s sovereignty and peace initiatives.

Meanwhile, the RSF has bolstered its aerial arsenal with Chinese-made FH-95 drones capable of long-range strikes. Some of these systems trace back to United Arab Emirates suppliers. Military Africa noted that Turkish drones have also appeared on the RSF side, complicating efforts to determine responsibility for civilian casualties. The UAE has faced persistent accusations of arming the paramilitary group, with researchers and human rights organizations connecting weapons recovered in Darfur—primarily RSF-controlled territory—to the Gulf nation. While the UAE denies these allegations, a UN Security Council panel considered them “credible” in 2024.

“You’re seeing the future of warfare in Africa”: Yale researcher on how drones are reshaping Sudan’s war

Nate Allen, an associate professor of security studies at the Washington, DC-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies, observes that drones have completely redrawn Sudan’s battlefield. “You’re seeing the future of warfare in Africa,” Allen told CNN, noting that these aerial systems now monitor enemy movements, support ground operations, and strike with unprecedented precision. As foreign powers continue supplying both sides, Sudan’s citizens face an uncertain future where death can fall from the sky without warning.