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Yale Report: RSF Deploys Suicide Drones at Nyala Airport

Moatinoon
A report by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health has revealed that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have deployed long-range suicide drones and launch platforms near Nyala Airport since May 2025, posing a direct threat to civilians, vital infrastructure, and humanitarian aid delivery across the country.

The report pointed out that the attacks launched by the Rapid Support Forces with similar planes targeted Khartoum and Omdurman last week, showing the capabilities of their transfer quickly to the site of the attack.

Satellite imagery analyzed by the lab identified 13 long-range drones and 16 launch platforms in the vicinity of the RSF-controlled airport. The drones are believed to be Shahed-136 loitering munitions or Chinese-made variants such as the Sunflower-200 and ZT-180, with operational ranges between 1,500 and 2,000 kilometers — enough to strike any location in Sudan, including Port Sudan, some 1,600 km away.

The report noted that the presence of these drones coincided with a wave of drone attacks claimed to have been carried out by the RSF on Port Sudan and Kassala between May 3 and 7, 2025. It also warned that such systems can be relocated rapidly, heightening the risks of surprise attacks across the conflict zones.

According to the Yale researchers, the RSF’s access to this advanced technology highlights the continued supply of sophisticated weaponry from foreign sources, further escalating the conflict and jeopardizing humanitarian operations.