Drone attacks struck several locations in eastern Sudan early Sunday, targeting military installations and areas surrounding critical water and electricity infrastructure in Gedaref and neighbouring Kassala states, according to local reports and eyewitnesses.
The Darfur Victims Advocacy Organisation said residents of Gedaref’s Deim al-Nour, Al-Nasr, Al-Thawra and Al-Midan neighbourhoods reported hearing powerful explosions at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time.
The neighbourhoods are situated near the headquarters of the Sudanese army’s Second Infantry Division.
Witnesses said the explosions coincided with heavy ground-based anti-aircraft fire, triggering panic among residents and prompting some civilians to flee their homes and gather in the streets.
According to the organisation, four drones were reported to have targeted several locations, including the Upper Atbara and Setit dams and the Wad Zayed airstrip, an unpaved aviation facility near the Setit Dam.
Separately, local sources told Sudan Tribune that drones attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked military positions around the dam complex and Khashm al-Girba in Kassala state.
The sources said army air defences intercepted several drones, including others approaching the Second Infantry Division headquarters and government facilities in Gedaref.
Radio Dabanga reported that as many as seven drones were involved in attacks across the eastern region, citing field reports indicating that several aircraft had been intercepted.
No casualties or material damage were reported in the initial accounts, although the full extent of the attacks could not be independently established.
The Upper Atbara and Setit dam complex is a strategically important source of electricity and irrigation water for eastern Sudan. Damage to the facilities could disrupt essential services and agricultural production across the region.
The Darfur Victims Advocacy Organisation warned that attacks threatening civilian infrastructure could have serious humanitarian consequences, stressing that international humanitarian law prohibits deliberate attacks on civilian objects.
The latest incidents follow previous drone attacks targeting infrastructure in eastern Sudan, including strikes around the same dam complex in September.
