Investigation spotlights Iranian drones used in Sudan

A recent report by Reuters indicated that Iranian drones are playing a key role in Sudan. “A year into Sudan’s civil war, Iranian-made armed drones have helped the army turn the tide of the conflict, halting the progress of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) and regaining territory around the capital,” a senior army source told Reuters.

Iranian drones have been seen in Sudan in the past, going back more than a decade. Sudan has used the Mohajer family of Iranian drones primarily for surveillance. Therefore, the question about Iran’s drones in Sudan today is more tied to the civil war in the country and Iran’s influence. This increasingly matters because Tehran also used drones in its attack on Israel on April 13-14.

According to Iran International, a delegation from Sudan went to the Islamic Republic in December 2023 to examine acquiring more drones. Iran appears to be backing the Sudanese army against the RSF, fighting on the other side of the Sudan civil war. Al-Ain Media published a lengthy article this week looking at the Iran-Sudan drone connection.

According to the report, a Sudanese army official said that the drones don’t all come directly from Iran but are developed locally. This would make sense because Iran has often made it possible for its allies to use blueprints to build drones locally. This has happened with the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Sudan’s army has officially said it did not acquire weapons from Iran, according to the report. Clearly, Sudan’s army is wary of sanctions or a spotlight on this issue.

Sudan claims army used Iranian drones in Omdurman

Recent reports in Sudan say that the army used Iranian drones in a battle in Omdurman, an essential Sudanese city. “The army also used [them] to seize entire neighborhoods of the old city of Omdurman from the grip of the Rapid Support Forces, and also on March 27 to retake the Wad al-Bashir Bridge in the city of Omdurman,” Al-Ain reports.

Using drones is helpful for the army because Sudan’s military and those it is fighting do not have a significant air force, and drones offer the possibility of a cheap, instant one. In essence, why acquire modern warplanes, which take years to procure, and train pilots, when one can buy cheap drones? Many countries are following this trend, such as Russia acquiring the Iranian Shahed 136 drones.

According to the Al-Ain report, the Sudanese army has used drones in a number of battles. These include clashes near the capital city of Khartoum. “Deep inside the Sudanese capital, the Iranian drones were also widespread, as they were used to stop the advance of the Rapid Support Forces into the heart of the Armored Corps [unit] south of Khartoum and to bomb its gatherings in the neighborhoods south of the city.”

The reports go on to note that the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone has been used in the Northeast African country. This report claims that the drone can carry out reconnaissance flights and can also carry missiles. However, it’s unclear if the version that can use missiles has been exported to Sudan.

Iran has frequently bragged that it has outfitted drones with missiles, similar to how the US-made armed Predator and Reaper drones work. “The Sudanese army used some old drones in the first months of the conflict, but they achieved little success against Rapid Support Forces fighters stationed in Khartoum’s densely populated neighborhoods. The new, more effective models began operating from the army’s Wadi Sedna base, north of Khartoum, as of January, according to eyewitnesses in the area,” Al-Ain media noted.

“In recent weeks, the army has begun using highly precise drones in military operations, which forced the Rapid Support Forces to flee many areas and allowed the army to deploy forces on the ground,” a source told Al-Ain.

“It is in Tehran’s interest to play a role in Sudan."

Other witnesses who were interviewed said the drones had been used in battles around the Khartoum Refinery Company, also known as the Al-Jili Oil Refinery. Amin Mazjoub, a former Sudanese general, was quoted in the report as saying that “Sudan previously made weapons with the help of Iran and reused the drones it already had to make them more effective during the war.”

Furthermore, Tehran transferred both Mohajer and Ababil-style drones to Sudan. The Ababil family of drones comes in various types, including a surveillance drone and the Ababil-2, a kamikaze drone. The Houthis and Hezbollah have used that drone type.

Mazjoub did not comment specifically on the source of the drones recently used in combat, which may have arrived via flights to Port Sudan. Iran has used the Fars Air Qeshm airline to transfer goods to Sudan. Flight tracking data shows the airline using its 747 cargo plane, which has also flown equipment to Syria over the years, flying into Port Sudan in late January.

The overall story of Iran’s role in Sudan lacks clarity today. The civil war likely provides Tehran with more opportunities to expand into the Northeast African country. Iran already had these relationships with Sudan’s previous regime. Therefore, it is in Tehran’s interest to have a role there.

Iran also partners with the Houthis and has operationalized them to terrorize ships entering the Red Sea as part of Iran’s war on Israel. An Iranian drone footprint in Sudan would expand Iran’s destabilizing activities. The Gulf countries, such as the UAE, appear concerned about this as well, considering the report in Al-Ain and another at The National in the Emirates.

The RSF, which doesn’t have Iranian drones, has nevertheless made progress in the battle for Sudan. The Sudanese army is facing an uphill struggle to retain control of half of the country. Therefore, Iran’s drones may not be a huge game-changer unless the army can acquire a large number of them.

One lesson from the Syrian civil war was that airpower will eventually defeat rebel groups. The Syrian regime’s air force has remained flying throughout the war and has dealt the rebels heavy blows and terrorized civilians. It remains to be seen if the Sudanese army will do the same. Iran backs the Syrian regime and may be providing insights learned in Syria, Yemen, and other places.