Sudanese army defences downed several drones targeting Atbara airport in River Nile State on Sunday, 20 September 2026, according to a military source who attributed the attack to the Rapid Support Forces. The source said several drones were intercepted as they attempted to target the airport, without specifying how many aircraft took part in the attack or how many drones were brought down by army defences.
Atbara airport expansion and plans to export products
The targeting of Atbara airport came a day after officials in River Nile State spoke of ongoing efforts to expand and develop the airport as part of state plans to establish export outlets for agricultural and livestock products, alongside developing the dry port in the city of Atbara.
Atbara has previously come under drone attacks during the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. On 12 August 2026, military sources and witnesses said drones had attempted to strike the city alongside attacks targeting El Obeid, Omdurman and Bahri, before being intercepted by army defences. Several of the drones fell at the time on farmland near the village of Umm al-Tuyur on the western bank of the Nile, according to those sources.
Drone attacks target water facilities in eastern Sudan
The new attack followed a series of drone operations in parts of eastern Sudan and the Blue Nile region during September. On 15 September, air defences repelled an attack targeting the Upper Atbara and Setit dams complex in Gedaref State and the Khashm el-Girba reservoir in Kassala State, near the border with Ethiopia.
Military and local sources said the defences had downed attack aircraft heading towards the water facilities, and that the attack caused no casualties or damage to the dams. During the same period, the city of Damazin, the capital of the Blue Nile region, came under strikes that hit fuel depots and civilian infrastructure, according to military statements and footage shown by the army’s Fourth Infantry Division.
On 19 September, the Sudanese army announced that it had downed a long-range drone in the Kurmuk sector of the Blue Nile region. The Fourth Infantry Division command said surveillance systems had tracked the aircraft before air defences engaged it, describing it as a reconnaissance drone belonging to the Rapid Support Forces.
The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has continued since April 2023, while the use of drones has expanded to target military positions, government facilities, electricity networks, fuel depots and service facilities in several Sudanese states.
