Cairo, Egypt. The deployment of a powerful Turkish combat drone model to a remote airstrip on Egypt’s southwestern border signals a sharp escalation in Sudan’s civil war, officials and regional experts say. They said it suggests one of Sudan’s largest neighbours is being drawn deeper into the conflict.
Egypt’s backing for Sudan’s military
Egypt, which shares the Nile River and a more than 1,200-kilometre frontier with Sudan, has provided political backing to Sudan’s military in its nearly three-year conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
Egyptian security officials have privately acknowledged sending logistical and technical support to the Sudanese Armed Forces, but until last year Cairo mostly refrained from direct intervention in fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and spread famine across the country.
Shift as RSF advanced in Darfur
Analysts and diplomats briefed by Egyptian officials said Cairo’s position toward the conflict began to change after the RSF made advances in Sudan’s western Darfur region.
They said the RSF captured a strategic northwestern triangle between Egypt and Libya in June and then overran the Sudanese military’s last foothold in Darfur, the city of al-Fashir, in October.
Warnings on national security and “red lines”
Egypt’s presidency warned in December that the country’s national security was directly linked to Sudan’s, and said Cairo would not allow its “red lines” to be crossed.
It said those lines include preserving Sudan’s territorial integrity and rejecting any “parallel entities” that threaten the country’s unity.
Airports supplied and satellite imagery of drone
Two Egyptian security officials told Reuters that two airports in the south have been supplied with military equipment over the past eight months to secure the border and carry out military strikes to protect “national security,” while declining to provide details.
Satellite images from Vantor, a U.S. space technology firm, show a large drone on the apron of one of the airports, in East Oweinat, on Sept. 29, Dec. 28 and Jan. 9.
Identification as Bayraktar Akinci
Two military experts who reviewed the images told Reuters the aircraft was identifiable as a Bayraktar Akinci based on its distinctive body and wing design.
The New York Times has also published imagery of Akinci drones at the East Oweinat airstrip and reported they were being used for strikes in Sudan.
Drone capabilities and lack of official comment
The Akinci is one of the most advanced drones manufactured by Turkish defence firm Baykar, with the ability to travel at high altitudes, remain airborne for 24 hours and carry a wide range of munitions.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and State Information Service did not answer questions about operations at East Oweinat or in Sudan, and Sudan’s military did not respond to requests for comment.
What do you think Egypt’s stated “red lines” in Sudan mean for the conflict’s next phase?
