Sudan's army shoots down fourth drone in a week and advances toward El Huwei

Fourth drone shot down in a week

Sudan's army announced on Sunday that its air defenses shot down a 'hostile' FH-95 drone east of Wad Banda in West Kordofan state at around midday on Saturday. This is the fourth drone shot down in that state over the past week, the military said. The army did not name the drone's operator. This was reported by the Turkish news agency Anadolu.

Fighting near El Huwei

Military sources, speaking to Anadolu on condition of anonymity, said the army and allied forces inflicted heavy losses on the RSF in a three-hour battle near El Huwei and, according to them, destroyed the unit engaged in the clash. The Joint Force of armed movements, fighting on the army's side, said it has been conducting operations against the RSF for the third consecutive day and is advancing along several key directions. Servicemen also posted videos on social media that, according to them, show destroyed RSF combat vehicles.

What is known about the battle area

The army seeks to capture El Huwei — a city linking central Sudan with West Kordofan and serving as a livestock trade hub in the gum arabic belt. On Saturday, military sources told the agency that the army, after clashes with the RSF, took Ayal Bakhit in the northwestern part of the El Huwei area, and also established control over Umm Maraih in the same area.

Context of the conflict

Clashes in North, West and South Kordofan have intensified since last year. The war between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023 and, according to figures cited by the agency, has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. Reports of RSF losses and troop advances come from military sources and the combatants themselves and have not yet been confirmed by independent observers.