Sudan’s army-aligned authorities have accused Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of facilitating drone attacks on civilian infrastructure, including power stations and fuel facilities, as a wave of strikes disrupts electricity supplies across several states.
At a joint news conference in Khartoum on Wednesday, officials from Sudan’s defence, foreign affairs and information ministries, alongside intelligence representatives, presented what they described as technical evidence linking the attacks to drones launched from Ethiopian territory.
Officials displayed satellite imagery, flight-path coordinates and fragments of intercepted drones, claiming the aircraft had originated from several locations in Ethiopia, including Bahir Dar Airport.
The allegations could further strain relations between Khartoum and Addis Ababa amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The claims could not be independently verified, and neither Ethiopia nor the UAE immediately responded to requests for comment reported by news organisations covering the briefing.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Muawiya Osman Khalid accused Ethiopia and the UAE of enabling attacks on Sudanese territory and urged the international community to respond.
Khalid said the authorities reserved the right to defend Sudanese territory against what he described as foreign aggression, warning that the alleged involvement of neighbouring Ethiopia represented a dangerous escalation.
The accusations followed a series of drone strikes targeting Sudan’s electricity network and fuel infrastructure.
On Tuesday, a drone attack disabled the Al-Markhiyat power station northwest of Omdurman, causing widespread electricity outages across the Khartoum metropolitan area.
The strike was reportedly the seventh attack on Sudan’s electricity infrastructure within a week.
Further strikes on Wednesday targeted a power station and fuel storage facilities in El Manaqil, in Gezira state, cutting electricity supplies to the town and surrounding communities.
Authorities also reported attacks on fuel storage facilities and a pipeline connected to Bashayer Port in Red Sea state.
Information Ministry Undersecretary Graham Abdel Qader said recent drone attacks had struck civilian infrastructure across Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, White Nile, Blue Nile and Red Sea states.
He alleged that hospitals, mosques, residential neighbourhoods and essential energy facilities had been among the targets.
Abdel Qader warned that the destruction of electricity infrastructure threatened agricultural production, disrupted essential services and complicated efforts by displaced residents to return to their homes.
The Sudanese Electricity Holding Company previously reported extensive damage to five power substations following drone attacks on Monday, disrupting supplies across large parts of southeastern Sudan.
The company blamed the RSF for those strikes.
The latest allegations are not the first time Sudan’s military-aligned authorities have accused Ethiopia and the UAE of involvement in cross-border drone operations.
In May, Khartoum accused both countries of facilitating attacks on strategic installations, including Khartoum International Airport, and claimed that drones had been launched from Ethiopian territory.
Ethiopia rejected those accusations as baseless, while the UAE denied involvement.
