Western Officials: Iran Supplies Sudan’s Army with Combat Drones

The war in Sudan began on 15 April 2023. Reuters file photo
The war in Sudan began on 15 April 2023. Reuters file photo
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Western Officials: Iran Supplies Sudan’s Army with Combat Drones

The war in Sudan began on 15 April 2023. Reuters file photo
The war in Sudan began on 15 April 2023. Reuters file photo

Iran has supplied Sudan’s army with combat drones, Bloomberg cited senior Western officials.

The war in Sudan between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, began on 15 April 2023.

Both factions have asserted their influence over various states. However, recent months have borne witness to a noteworthy surge in the RSF, gaining ground at the expense of the army, which has faced significant setbacks in key strategic locations, notably in Darfur and Gezira.

Sudan received shipments of the Mohajer-6, a single-engine unmanned aircraft manufactured in Iran that carries precision-guided munitions, said three Western officials, requesting anonymity to divulge sensitive information.

Analysts who examined satellite imagery confirmed the drone’s presence in the country.

Among the evidence proving the Mohajer-6’s presence in Sudan is a Jan. 9 satellite image of the UAV at the Wadi Sayyidna air base north of the capital, Khartoum, according to Wim Zwijnenburg, project leader of humanitarian disarmament at PAX, a Dutch organization seeking to foster peaceful societies.

He also identified a radio antenna from a control center inside a truck on the airstrip as a common sight where the UAV is operated.

The Mohajer-6 is capable of conducting air-to-surface attacks, electronic warfare and targeting on the battlefield, according to US officials.

Arming Sudan would bolster Tehran’s military sway in the broader Middle East - where it supports groups ranging from armed groups in Gaza to Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen - as well as groups in Syria and Iraq.

On Saturday, Sudan's Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq met in Uganda with the Iranian First Vice President, Mohamed Mokhber, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kampala.

A Sudanese statement said the officials discussed restoring bilateral relations and accelerating steps to reopen embassies.

Sudan severed its relationship with Iran in 2016, but last October, its foreign ministry announced the resumption of diplomatic relations. No additional steps have been taken since then.

Sudan has a pivotal 800 km stretch of the Red Sea coastline. Its ports have become the center of international competition for major powers such as the US, China, Russia, and Türkiye. The growing influence of Iran in Sudan has raised significant international concerns.

“Regaining an ally in Sudan, especially along the Red Sea, would be a major win for Iran but will spook other regional and Western powers,” said Alan Boswell, Horn of Africa project director for the International Crisis Group.

The US has accused Iran of providing Mohajer-6 drones to Russia in its war against Ukraine. Washington last year expanded its Iran-related sanctions, citing Tehran’s “continued, deliberate proliferation of UAVs enabling Russia, its proxies in the Middle East and other destabilizing actors.”



Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis
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Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi militias in Yemen said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeted Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah, following several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeidah, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations. It came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.”

Netanyahu monitored the new strikes along with military leaders, his government said. The Iran-backed Houthis' media outlet confirmed the strikes in a Telegram post but gave no immediate details. The US military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.

Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeidah, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Houthis designated as a terrorist organisation.
The UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday over Houthi attacks against Israel, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday.