RSF SHOOTS DOWN TURKISH-MADE DRONE OVER El FASHER, ACCUSES SUDANESE ARMY OF TARGETING CIVILIANS.
BY NJOKI KARANJA
Khartoum, October 7, 2025
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have announced the downing of a Turkish-made “Akinci” drone over the city of El Fasher, North Darfur, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
In a statement released by the Office of the Official Spokesman, the RSF said its Air Defense Unit successfully intercepted the drone, which had been used days earlier to launch deadly airstrikes on civilian areas. The group alleged that more than 80 people were killed in Bulbul Tembesko, west of Nyala, and several others in Al-Zuruq, North Darfur, during the attacks.
The RSF condemned what it described as “deliberate targeting of civilians” by what it called the “Terrorist Islamic Movement Army,” accusing it of using Turkish-manufactured drones in a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
“These attacks form part of a broader scheme carried out by groups that aim to eliminate entire civilian communities, particularly in areas where our forces have no military presence,” the statement read.
The RSF further called on the international community, regional bodies, and human rights organizations to investigate and condemn what it termed “heinous massacres” against innocent civilians. It also urged global media outlets to report impartially on the ongoing violence in Darfur and expose violations of international humanitarian law.
The group’s statement comes amid intensified clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), whose rivalry has plunged Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with civilians bearing the brunt of the conflicts.
