December 1, 2024 (EL FASHER) – A joint force of the Sudanese army and allied factions said on Sunday it seized drones and destroyed combat vehicles belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in an attack on a supply convoy coming from Chad.
The operation, near Nyala in South Darfur, is the second in less than two weeks targeting RSF supply lines in the tri-border area with Chad and Libya.
On November 21, the force captured a shipment of heavy weapons and killed a group of Colombian nationals it alleged were mercenaries en route to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
Joint force spokesman Ahmed Hussein Mustafa said in a statement seen by Sudan Tribune that special forces intercepted and destroyed the convoy.
The statement said that the operation resulted in the seizure of three large drones capable of carrying four air-to-surface missiles and six smaller drones capable of carrying two missiles each. More than 30 RSF fighters were killed, and eight military vehicles were destroyed.
The statement identified the seized drones as Danger Propellers models with the serial number J/DF24-23-01-043A, manufactured by Woodcomp Propellers, a company registered in the Czech Republic.
The joint force claimed the drones were modified for military purposes and alleged that their entry into Sudan was supported and financed by the United Arab Emirates in coordination with Chad to destabilize the country.
“We know that you are wasting the wealth of your people on a losing project,” the statement said, addressing the UAE. “Defeat is your destiny in Sudan.”
The UAE has faced accusations of providing military support to the RSF, allegedly transported through Am Djaress airport in Chad and then smuggled into Sudan.
Since May, the army and its allies from the joint force, comprising factions that signed the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement, have been engaged in fierce clashes with the RSF in El Fasher.