Sudan levels first direct accusation against Ethiopia in civil war
Photo: Sudan accuses Ethiopia of drone attacks (Getty Images)
Sudan has for the first time accused neighboring Ethiopia of allowing drones to be launched from its territory to carry out attacks during the country’s ongoing civil war, Reuters reports.
According to the news agency, Sudan claims Ethiopia permitted drones to cross into Sudanese territory to conduct strikes in February and March.
Reuters notes that this is the first time Sudan has directly accused its powerful neighbor of involvement in the three-year civil war.
"The Sudanese foreign ministry statement, released late on Monday, is the latest sign that one of the world's deadliest conflicts between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is drawing in regional powers from Africa and beyond," Reuters writes.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry described Ethiopia’s actions as “a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty and an open act of aggression.”
"The Sudanese government warns the Ethiopian authorities against the consequences of these hostile acts and affirms its right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the right to respond to such attacks by all available means," the ministry said.
The statement did not specify where the alleged attacks occurred, but eyewitnesses reported small clashes and drone strikes in recent weeks in the southeastern Blue Nile state, which borders Ethiopia.
Parts of the Blue Nile are controlled by the rebel group SPLM-N, which last year aligned itself with the Rapid Support Forces.
Ethiopian authorities have not yet commented on Sudan’s accusations.
Civil war in Sudan
Sudan’s civil war has entered its third year and is being fought between the regular Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Kordofan state holds strategic importance, linking RSF-controlled Darfur in the west with government-held territories in the east and north. Control of the region could open the path to the capital, Khartoum.
In December 2025, RSF forces attacked the town of Kalogi in South Kordofan, killing at least 116 people, including nearly 50 children.
According to the United Nations, tens of thousands have been killed and more than 9 million people displaced during the war.
