The discovery of long-range “kamikaze” drones near a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) base in Sudan has raised alarms among defense experts and humanitarian organizations, indicating a perilous new phase in the country’s civil war. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), with allied forces, recently recaptured the strategic city of Bara, a major stronghold for the RSF. While the victory for the SAF is significant, the battle also offered a glimpse into the RSF’s aerial advancements.

According to images analyzed by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab and defense experts, evidence shows that the RSF now possesses kamikaze drones capable of striking targets up to 2,000 km away.

The drones, which were spotted at Nyala airport in Darfur, coincided with a wave of drone attacks on Port Sudan, the army’s de facto capital — a city over 1,600 km from the drone’s location. This geographic leap in strike capability raises fears that the RSF, having lost ground in central and eastern Sudan, is now adapting its strategy to rely on high-tech aerial attacks to destabilize government-held areas.

While the RSF’s air power grows, the Sudanese army is making gains on the ground. The recapture of Bara, a city that was a long-held RSF stronghold, is a major symbolic and strategic victory. It signals a shift in the conflict’s dynamics, with the army and its allies regaining control of key territories. However, this ground success is being met with a new, asymmetric threat from the air. Both sides have been actively using drones, but the RSF’s acquisition of these long-range systems alters the balance of power, giving them the ability to project force across the entire country.

The origins of these advanced drones remain murky, with both China and the UAE, who have been accused of supplying them, denying involvement. The development raises concerns about foreign actors continuing to fuel a conflict that has already killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, creating what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The introduction of this new, more sophisticated weaponry suggests a prolonged and deadlier war, with a greater potential for civilian casualties and a deepening of Sudan’s already catastrophic humanitarian situation.