According to a military source and eyewitnesses, the attacks targeted Khartoum, as well as El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State; Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State; and Atbara and Al-Damar in River Nile State, while the army's air defences and ground-based anti-aircraft systems confronted a new wave of drones.
Widespread Drone Attacks and Military Response
A Sudanese military source told Xinhua that the army's ground and air defences repelled widespread drone attacks on Wednesday and Thursday targeting several cities and military positions. The source said more than 35 drones, which he attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), were shot down on Wednesday over areas including Atbara, Al-Damar and El Obeid.
On Thursday, the forces shot down 10 drones in Omdurman, three in River Nile State and five in South Kordofan State, the source said, adding that the defences prevented drones from reaching a number of vital targets.
An eyewitness in Omdurman told Xinhua that loud explosions were heard and columns of smoke rose over the city as air defences engaged a swarm of drones. In El Obeid, another eyewitness reported successive explosions and the activation of army ground defences as several drones attacked the city.
Geographic Expansion of Drone Warfare
The attacks also reached Atbara and Al-Damar in River Nile State, relatively far from the front lines, highlighting the expanding geographical scope of drone warfare in Sudan. The RSF has increasingly relied on long-range drones to strike military sites and critical infrastructure in army-held territory, with recent attacks targeting cities far from the main front lines.
Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF have launched drone strikes across the country, repeatedly hitting civilian infrastructure. Between January and May 2026, drone strikes killed more than 1,000 civilians, accounting for some 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths documented during that period. Attacks have been documented on health facilities and markets, including a strike on Ed Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur in March that killed more than 60 civilians.
Ground Fighting Intensifies
The escalation comes amid heavy fighting on several fronts, particularly in North Kordofan and Blue Nile. In North Kordofan, clashes continued after the army retook several strategic areas in recent weeks and reopened parts of the vital export road linking Kordofan with Khartoum.
The general command of the Sudanese Armed Forces said Thursday that its forces and allied troops had repelled an RSF attack on the Jabrat Al-Sheikh area in North Kordofan involving more than 250 combat vehicles. It said the attackers suffered losses in personnel and equipment and were forced to withdraw toward the outskirts of Darfur.
In Blue Nile State, fighting continued in Geisan, a locality on the border with Ethiopia, following an attack by the RSF and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, according to local authorities. The International Organization for Migration reported that around 2,500 people were displaced from Geisan following the clashes. Most moved to other areas within the locality, while others crossed the border into Ethiopia.
Civilian Casualties and Humanitarian Impact
The drone strikes have taken a heavy toll on civilians. The Sudan Doctors Network said two people were killed inside the emergency department of El Obeid Hospital after being struck by shrapnel from an RSF drone launched at the city Wednesday. The group condemned the attacks as "violations of international humanitarian law" and called for an immediate halt to attacks on residential areas and civilian facilities.
The conflict, now in its fourth year, has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis. About 34 million people—almost two out of every three Sudanese—need assistance, according to the United Nations. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions both domestically and abroad.
A New Phase in the Conflict
The attacks represent a significant escalation in Sudan's long-running conflict. The RSF had seemed to be on the back foot since the army last month pushed them off the Khartoum-El-Obeid highway, strangling their bid to seize Kordofan. Following these setbacks, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo said he would "unleash" his fighters, and his forces have since repeatedly threatened a large-scale retaliatory attack.
Daglo's fighters are already accused of war crimes including genocide. The Sudanese army and the RSF have been engaged in a bitter power struggle since April 2023, when fighting erupted over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the regular military. The two sides have spent most of the war in a relative stalemate, unwilling to hold negotiations while vying for a decisive battlefield advantage.
With reporting from Xinhua, Anadolu Ajansı, Arab News, AP News and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
