Sudan files complaints against Ethiopia with UN over deadly drone spree | News
Sudan Files Complaint Against Ethiopia Over Drone Attacks
Reported by Al Jazeera Staff
Published on November 2, 2026
Sudan has officially accused Ethiopia of enabling a series of deadly drone strikes that have resulted in significant civilian casualties. The Sudanese government submitted a complaint to both the United Nations Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council regarding the attacks.
In a statement released late Sunday, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese military in an ongoing civil war, utilized Ethiopian territory to conduct what it termed “brazen aggression” against civilian infrastructure and power stations within Sudan. This action reportedly resulted in hundreds of casualties and widespread disruptions to essential services.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry characterized these incidents as placing Ethiopia “before international law.” Sudan’s military has consistently accused Ethiopia of providing support to the RSF since the civil conflict began in April 2023. In turn, Ethiopia has alleged that the Sudanese military is backing rebels associated with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a claim that Sudan has denied.
The ministry’s statement coincided with a report from Sudan’s army-led Transitional Sovereignty Council, which documented 70 drone assaults from February 15 to October 27, involving a total of 187 one-way attack drones. The report indicated that these attacks have resulted in the deaths or injuries of 484 civilians and the loss of 176 Sudanese soldiers, with an additional 200 wounded.
“Since February 2026, armed drones have launched from Ethiopian soil to target Sudanese cities and civilians,” the report stated. It identified specific launch sites, including Asosa Airport in western Ethiopia, the Kurmuk-Gizen border area, and Bahir Dar airbase in the Amhara region of northwestern Ethiopia.
The previous month alone saw 28 attacks utilizing 97 drones, noted the report. It highlighted an attack on October 9 in Wad el-Mahi, located in Sudan’s Blue Nile region near the Ethiopian border, where 30 civilians — 26 women and four children — were killed, with another 100 individuals sustaining injuries.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed dismay over the impact of these drone strikes, particularly following a recent attack on a market in RSF-controlled territory in Darfur that reportedly killed more than 100 people. The spokesperson stated that the Secretary-General “strongly condemns the escalating drone attacks in Sudan by the parties to the conflict and the catastrophic toll these attacks are inflicting on civilians,” calling the strikes violations of international humanitarian law.
