Damazin, the capital of Sudan’s Blue Nile State in the southeast of the country, came under a drone attack overnight that local authorities said was launched by the Rapid Support Forces. The state government said Sudanese army anti-aircraft defenses repelled it early Monday, with no casualties reported.
Witnesses report explosions near Damazin airport
Witnesses said they heard explosions and ground-based anti-aircraft fire during the attack, and that a drone fell near Damazin airport. The city remained relatively safe through most of the war before the Rapid Support Forces and their allies launched an offensive this year along the border with Ethiopia, moving north toward Damazin. The last known position of these forces is about 100 kilometers south of the city.
Ethiopia denies hosting Rapid Support Forces fighters
Ethiopia denies hosting Rapid Support Forces fighters and affirms its respect for Sudan’s sovereignty, territorial unity and integrity. Local sources say the ease of crossing the border between Sudan and Ethiopia has made it a major supply route for the Rapid Support Forces. The Sudanese army said Sunday that it had shot down a drone it described as “hostile” after it entered from the direction of the Ethiopian border.
In a statement, it said the defenses of the 4th Infantry Division shot it down while it was flying over the Baling area, in the eastern axis of Kurmuk locality in Blue Nile State, without identifying the side to which it belonged.
On August 27, the army said it had shot down another drone in the state, describing it as “hostile” and coming from Ethiopian territory. At the time, it said this was the third such incident in a matter of days.
