Sudan's shadow war: Drone strikes reveal escalating tensions between UAE and Turkey
Recent drone strikes in Sudan have revealed an escalating rivalry between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, which are backing opposing sides in a war that has been raging since April 2023.
Officials in Sudan's army-backed government have been watching the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) flying military cargo planes in and out of Nyala airport in South Darfur for months.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) targeted the airport on multiple occasions, suspecting that the UAE, through its network of air bases in the region, including one in Uganda and one in Somalia's autonomous Puntland, was using it to supply the RSF with sophisticated weapons, armed drones and ammunition.
Those suspicions had been confirmed by external monitors, including Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab, which said that Chinese-made drones 'consistent with FH-95s' bought by the UAE had been flown into Nyala.
Last week, Amnesty International found that the UAE was sending Chinese-made weaponry, including GB50A guided bombs and 155mm AH-4 howitzers, into Darfur despite an ongoing UN arms embargo.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
The Emiratis have continued to deny their involvement, with a spokesperson saying: "The UAE reaffirms its consistent and clear position: it is not providing arms or military support to any of the warring parties in Sudan."
Earlier this year, the SAF turned the tide of the war in its favour, retaking the capital Khartoum, breaking the siege on the strategic city of el-Obeid and seizing other parts of central and southern Sudan with the help of TB2 Bayraktars, Turkish armed drones delivered to Sudan last year.
On 3 May, these drones, operated by Turks fighting alongside the Sudanese army in Port Sudan, struck a military cargo plane at Nyala airport. The plane was suspected of carrying 'suicide' drones, ammunition and military radar systems.
As Sudanese officials and army officers celebrated the strike, they did not know it had also triggered an escalation between Turkey and the UAE not seen since 2021.
Local Sudanese sources familiar with the incident told Middle East Eye that the Nyala strike killed or wounded many RSF personnel, as well as foreign citizens such as Emiratis, who were brought to the city's Turkish hospital.
A local report said the attack killed at least 70 RSF fighters who were on their way to receive treatment outside Sudan, as well as 18 foreigners, including European, African and Arab troops. A Kenyan and a South Sudanese pilot were also reportedly dead, according to respective local media reports.
Mercenaries who fight for the RSF are now, regional security sources told MEE, flown in and out of Africa through Bosaso, a port in Somalia's Puntland.
Strikes on Port Sudan
A response to the Nyala strike arrived a day later.
For three days, a series of precision strikes hit Port Sudan, where the government has been based since fighting enveloped Khartoum in 2023. The attacks continued after that initial flurry, only abating on Wednesday morning, 10 days after they began.
Sudan's only international airport was damaged, as was a military airbase, the southern terminal of the port - the main gateway for humanitarian aid into Sudan - and a hotel hosting Saudi and Egyptian diplomats.
Sudan cuts ties with UAE as Port Sudan reels from drone strikes Read More »
Fires that began after the drones struck fuel depots in the city raged for days, with the sky above Port Sudan turning black with smoke. The city suffered a blackout after a major power station was hit. Schools, bakeries and other local services closed.
'Damage to key civilian infrastructure such as non-military airports and power stations disrupt our volunteers' efforts to help our stricken communities, and creates even more barriers to providing food, clean water and healthcare,' Aida Elsayed Abdallah, secretary general of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, told MEE.
Sudanese and European diplomatic sources said the response was planned and executed by the UAE, not the leadership of the RSF, though Abu Dhabi condemned the raids in the strongest possible terms.
Two sources familiar with the attacks told MEE that they wounded several members of the Turkish technical support team that had been on the ground aiding Sudanese army drone operations.
On Sunday, not long after the first strikes hit Port Sudan, Turkey dispatched an air ambulance to collect the patients.
The RSF did not publicly claim responsibility for the attacks. The UAE swiftly condemned them. But Sudan's government cut ties with Abu Dhabi in their aftermath.
'Regional war'
Speaking at a meeting in the UK's parliament on Monday, Babikir Elamin, Sudan's ambassador to the UK, said the RSF 'and its external sponsor, the UAE, were stubbornly pursuing their illegitimate and selfish agenda, to the extent of employing extreme brutality and terrorism'.
'Until recently, this conflict could be described as a proxy war. However, it has taken a dangerous turn, verging on a regional war, with the UAE's barely concealed direct intervention,' Elamin said.
Elamin pointed to the UAE's supply of 'French armoured vehicles, heavy artillery and drones sourced from Serbia, Bulgaria and China', while also confirming that the Sudanese army was being assisted by outside actors, including Turkey.
'The UAE likely carried out every aspect of the Port Sudan attacks. So I think the UAE is on a very personal rampage now'
- Jalel Harchaoui, Rusi
The drastic response to the Port Sudan attacks has been underpinned by a belief that they were masterminded in Abu Dhabi. Sudanese and western diplomatic sources told MEE that, enraged by the Nyala airport strike - and by Turkey's perceived involvement in it - the UAE had authorised and directed the assault on Port Sudan.
'The UAE likely carried out every aspect of the Port Sudan attacks,' Jalel Harchaoui, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (Rusi), told MEE. "So I think the UAE is on a very personal rampage now."
There are two main theories as to where the drones were launched from.
Three Sudanese sources told MEE that the "suicide" drones were operated by the UAE and probably launched from Bosaso. Witnesses in Port Sudan said they had seen the drones coming in from the Red Sea.
But a separate Sudanese source and a western military analyst said they believed the drones had come from the RSF-controlled al-Malha region of North Darfur, close to the border with Libya.
Chinese-made Sunflower-200 "suicide" - or "kamikaze" - drones have a 2,000km range, meaning that Bosaso, at about 1,800km, would be at the outer end of their range.
Turkey and UAE tensions
The attack on Port Sudan, currently the country's de facto capital and previously one of the safest places in Sudan, and the destruction of military hangars that potentially housed Turkish-made drones, has raised tensions between Turkey and the UAE.
Abu Dhabi was already agitated by Turkey's involvement in the war. Many sources in Ankara believe the large data leak to the Washington Post in March, which exposed the details of a large Turkish armed drone sale to Sudan, was an Emirati hacking operation.
The report was so detailed that it included various messages sent between Turkish company officials based in Sudan and those back in Turkey, including proprietary information such as contract details.
This is not the first time the UAE and Turkey have found themselves at loggerheads.
A Turkish intervention in Libya beginning in 2020 also pitted both countries against each other, as Ankara backed the UN-recognised Libyan government in the west, and the UAE supported Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar's forces in the east.
Haftar's forces have been part of the supply lines used by the UAE in its sponsorship of the RSF in Sudan, while the Turkish government was able to fend off an offensive by Haftar thanks to the same Turkish drones operated by Sudan, which are TB2 Bayraktars.
Fidan meets Mohammed bin Zayed
On 5 May, as drones were raining down on Port Sudan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was in Abu Dhabi, meeting with Mohammed bin Zayed, the ruler of the UAE.
According to sources briefed on the talks, they were designed to lower tensions.
A Turkish source told MEE that Ankara initially tried to stay neutral in the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which has killed thousands and resulted in what the UN calls the largest humanitarian catastrophe in the world.
UAE sent Chinese weapons to Sudan despite embargo Read More »
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year even proposed to Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that he broker talks between Sudan and Bin Zayed.
However, the source added, as the UAE began to arm the RSF, Ankara also decided to counterweigh the group by arming the Sudanese army.
Both sides in Sudan's war have committed atrocities. The US and human rights groups have determined that the RSF has committed genocide in Darfur, where the Masalit community has been subjected to a series of massacres by the paramilitaries.
'For the time being, the UAE is providing more weapons,' the Turkish source said.
'The UAE strongly rejects the suggestion that it is supplying weapons to any party involved in the ongoing conflict in Sudan,' Salem Aljaberi, a spokesperson for the UAE's foreign ministry, said in a statement on X.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
6 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Handful of US lawmakers demand Trump ban the Muslim Brotherhood
Calls on Capitol Hill are mounting to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation after a suspect accused of attacking a pro-Israel rally in Colorado is alleged to have expressed support for a former Egyptian president who was a member of the group. Republican Senator Ted Cruz on Tuesday said he planned to re-introduce 'a modernized version of the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which I have been pushing for my entire Senate career', in a post on X on Tuesday. Cruz accused the Muslim Brotherhood movement of using the Biden administration 'to consolidate and deepen their influence. But the Trump administration and Republican Congress can no longer afford to avoid the threat they pose to Americans and American national security'. Meanwhile, US Congressman Jared Moskowitz wrote a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to carry out an 'investigation to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist Organization.' He accused the organisation of having a 'documented history of promoting extremist ideologies and supporting terrorist activities through various affiliates'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters He accused Hamas of being one such affiliate. Other politicians, such as self-proclaimed Zionist Congressman Randy Fine, took the opportunity to take a swipe at US organisations such as Muslim civil rights and advocacy group Council on American–Islamic Relations (Cair) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), who he accused of being funded by the Muslim Brotherhood. Jewish Insider published an article on Wednesday saying that Fine accused the Muslim Brotherhood of funding Cair, SJP and other pro-Palestine groups. He also described Cair as the US 'mouthpiece' of the Muslim Brotherhood. Jewish Insider also reported that Fine had reached out to Cruz 'to offer to lead the Muslim Brotherhood legislation in the House'. Cair had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication. Colorado attack The calls coincide with an incident on 1 June, where an Egyptian national, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was accused of attacking protesters rallying in support of Israeli captives in Gaza. Eight people were injured during the attack. A profile by CNN said that Soliman had posted pictures on Facebook of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi, who served as the democratically elected leader of Egypt from 2012 to 2013 before he was ousted in a military coup that the US is said to have tacitly supported. Morsi died in 2019 after collapsing during a court hearing on espionage charges. Egyptian state TV reported he died from a heart attack. The Muslim Brotherhood called the death a "murder". CNN said Soliman's Facebook was last updated 10 years ago. The attack has fuelled calls for mass deportations of Muslims and another Muslim travel ban by leading MAGA figures such as Laura Loomer. Loomer, who has been calling Soliman a 'Muslim Brotherhood terrorist' for days, has also been calling for Muslim immigrants to be deported. In a post on X, she said, 'We are being killed and maimed by Muslim immigrants because Republicans were too afraid of being called 'Islamophobes'. She added that elderly Jews and young Christian Zionists were being 'murdered by these Muslim imports who hate our country and who hate everything non Islamic. They need to be removed from our country if they hate us.' In another post, she wrote, 'We need mass deportations and an Islamic travel ban ASAP!' Loomer has spent days calling for Soliman and his family to be deported. The Trump administration has been swift in its response. The White House announced on X on Tuesday that the wife and five children of Soliman had been 'captured' and were in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and 'COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT'. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem called Soliman a 'terrorist' and 'illegal alien' in a video on Tuesday and said that they were 'investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it'. Muslim Brotherhood The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 in Egypt, and in the 1940s formed a secret, armed wing to fight against British colonial rule. It renounced violence in the 1960s and later embraced electoral democracy instead. It is one of the largest and most well-known Islamic movements. It has long maintained that it is a peaceful organisation that wishes to participate in politics democratically, but many autocratic governments in the Middle East and North Africa consider it a major threat. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have all banned the Muslim Brotherhood. Jordan banned the organisation in April, allegedly after pressure from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel. Jordan said they had arrested 16 members of the Muslim Brotherhood who had purportedly plotted attacks on targets inside the kingdom involving rockets and drones in April. In his first term, Trump toyed with the idea of banning the Brotherhood in the US, and could come under pressure to do so during his second term. The Trump administration considered designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation following Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's visit to the White House in 2019. The Muslim Brotherhood remains Sisi's main source of opposition in Egypt, and the Egyptian president reportedly asked Washington to crack down on the group. However, the Defence Department, career national security staff, government lawyers, and diplomatic officials raised legal and policy objections. Sisi led the Egyptian army's overthrow of Morsi in 2013. Egypt has jailed thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members, sentencing many to death. International rights groups have estimated that tens of thousands of political prisoners have been detained in Egyptian jails since 2014. Earlier this year, Jordan told Trump they would ban the Muslim Brotherhood. King Abdullah's move firmly places Jordan in the western camp's push against political Islam. The US is not the only western power looking to ban the Muslim Brotherhood. A new report by France's interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, revives the spectre of the Muslim Brotherhood as an underground Islamist threat poised to capture local and national institutions.
Middle East Eye
8 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
From Italy to Japan, most people have negative views of Israel, poll finds
The majority of people across the world have a negative view of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a Pew poll released on Tuesday. Views on Israel were mostly negative in 20 out of 24 countries surveyed by Pew between January and April 2025. Most people in Arab and Muslim countries have had a negative view of Israel for decades, but the Pew poll showed widespread negative attitudes across Europe and East Asia. It also showed that positive views of Israel are decreasing in Western Europe and among young people. In Italy, 66 percent of people had a negative view of Israel, measured by 'somewhat or very unfavorable' opinions. In Greece, Sweden and Spain, the negative sentiment towards Israel was all above 70 percent. In the Netherlands, the number reached 78 percent. Even in Poland, whose government is traditionally supportive of Israel, public sentiment was 62 percent negative. Likewise, in Hungary, 53 percent of respondents had a negative opinion of Israel. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The Pew poll also showed widespread negative sentiment towards Israel in Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, where 80 percent of respondents viewed Israel either somewhat or very unfavourably. Elsewhere in Asia, the views were negative, including 80 percent of respondents in Japan and 60 percent in South Korea. Increasing dislike across the globe US sentiment towards Israel was also included, referencing a poll Pew published in April. According to that survey, a majority of Americans, 53 percent, have a negative view of Israel. That number was up from 42 percent in March 2022, before the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel and Israel's subsequent war on the Gaza Strip. In the US, Democrats are still more likely than Republicans to express a negative opinion of Israel by 69 percent to 37 percent, respectively. But the Pew poll said that the number of Republicans who hold negative opinions on Israel has increased 10 percentage points since 2022. Majority of Americans hold unfavourable view of Israel, Pew poll finds Read More » Young Republicans, those under the age of 50, especially, are now more likely to have an unfavourable view of Israel, with 50 percent polling in that direction. That gap comes as more popular conservative voices, like Candice Owens and Tucker Carlson, have become more open to challenging US military support for Israel and the treatment of Christians inside the occupied Palestine. Pew said that the last time it asked respondents in the UK about their view on Israel, in 2013, 44 percent had an unfavourable view. Today, that number is 61 percent, and that trend has held across the globe. 'In 10 other countries, we last asked this question in 2013. In seven of these countries, the share of adults with a negative view of Israel has increased significantly,' the report said. Views of Israel also differ by age group. 'In some countries, younger people are more likely than older people to have an unfavourable view of Israel. This is particularly the case in the high-income countries surveyed: Australia, Canada, France, Poland and South Korea and the US,' the report said. The US has one of the most significant age gaps. Confidence in Netanyahu was also low across the 24 countries surveyed. In Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey, around three-quarters of adults or more have little or no confidence in Netanyahu.
Al Etihad
8 hours ago
- Al Etihad
UAE strongly condemns attack on humanitarian convoy in North Darfur
4 June 2025 21:35 ABU DHABI (WAM)The UAE has strongly condemned the armed attack on a humanitarian convoy in North a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) strongly condemned all acts of violence against humanitarian personnel who dedicate their lives to serving those in ministry underlined that the targeting of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) convoy is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, and emphasised that humanitarian personnel must be respected and ministry called on the two warring parties - who have shown no regard for the extent of suffering endured by the Sudanese people - to respect their obligations under international law and their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration, and the mechanisms proposed by the Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) UAE stressed the need to implement immediate steps to protect civilians and facilitate the rapid and unhindered access of essential humanitarian aid through all available ministry underscored the UAE's steadfast and unwavering dedication to support all efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful solution to the ongoing civil war in Sudan, highlighting the importance of an immediate ceasefire and the protection of UAE remains committed to supporting all endeavours to address this catastrophic crisis, and to work alongside regional and international partners to ensure stability and peace for the people of Sudan.
