.jpg)
TUE 2 JUN - A drone typically only operated by the Chinese army is being used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur, satellite images suggest, indicating a possible violation of a UN arms embargo.
The latest report from the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) concluded that a craft visible at South Darfur’s Nyala airport was consistent with a type of a drone known as the BZK-005.
The BZK-005 is produced by Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co, Ltd, a subsidiary of a Chinese-state-owned defence contractor, and is thought to be exported under tight controls, with only China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Indonesia known to use it.
In 2005, the UN Security Council - of which China is a permanent member - passed a resolution banning the supply of arms to parties engaged in the conflict in Darfur.
Satellite images taken on 6 May show a craft consistent in appearance and dimensions with a BZK-005E, one of three variants of the BZK-005.
The BZK-005E is believed to have a range of 2,400km - enough for a round trip from Nyala to much of Sudan, including capital Khartoum - and a payload of 370kg.
In 2022 and 2024, it was displayed at an expo in Abu Dhabi under the banner of International Golden Group, an Emirati distributor previously linked by a France24 investigation to the sale of weapons later filmed being used in Sudan.
The United Arab Emirates has long been accused of providing support to the RSF, including through the supply of arms, allegations that it denies.
“The transfer of this BZK-005E-consistent UAV to the Rapid Support Forces may constitute a violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1591,” the Yale HRL report said.
“It is incumbent upon China as the producer and main operator of the BZK-005 to account for how it arrived in RSF’s arsenal.”
Both sides of the war in Sudan increasingly use drones to reach areas far into the other’s territory, with hundreds of civilians killed in strikes just since the start of this year.
Dozens of people have been killed in ground attacks carried out by the RSF in villages in North Kordofan, according to reports.
The attacks occurred in the Bara region, north of state capital El Obeid, on Thursday.
A statement circulated by leaders of the local Dar Hamid tribe said the villages of Al Marra, Umm Saadoun, and Al-Radha - which sit to the west of Bara city - were attacked by “heavily armed” RSF soldiers in more than 20 four-wheel-drive vehicles.
It said locals had resisted the attack with the “limited weaponry” they had and that the RSF was repelled only after the mobilisation of forces from other branches of the tribe.
An initial report by the Sudan Doctors Network said the death toll was at least 27, while the Dar Hamid statement put the figure at more than 30.
An official in the West Bara locality later told Sudan Horizon that 61 people had been killed, adding that the toll had risen following the return of the bodies of 28 people who were “slaughtered” after being taken captive during the attacks.
He said the captives had been farmers with no links to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) or its affiliates.
Speaking to Avaaz, Zainab, a civilian recently displaced from Bara who has family still living close to Al Marra, said she had been told clashes began after RSF fighters stopped a vehicle in the area, looted its contents, and killed the driver.
“Local residents organised a community response to pursue the RSF fighters,” she said.
“Less than 12 hours later, RSF forces reportedly returned in large numbers, supported by armed vehicles and heavy weapons, and launched an attack on Al-Marra village.
“Residents say the forces entered a wedding gathering and attacked homes throughout the village, resulting in deaths and injuries among civilians.”
She added that similar attacks on civilians had occurred repeatedly in the Bara region over recent months.
“Many residents fear that another attack could take place,” she said. “People in the area believe that the RSF now views any resident of Bara as being affiliated with or supportive of the SAF.
“At the moment, the situation in Bara is relatively calm, but tensions remain high. Residents of Dar Hamid areas continue to reject surrender and are calling for justice for those who were killed.”
In a video address on Sunday, a spokesperson for the RSF claimed that fighting had occurred involving "rogue elements" and that no civilians had been involved.
He also announced the creation of a "fact-finding committee" on the incident.
The SAF-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as a “horrific massacre” and accused the RSF of having a “determination to target safe civilians and spread fear and suffering among local communities”.
At least 160 people were displaced from Al Marra village on Thursday due to heightened insecurity, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The killings come amid a long-running attempt by the RSF - which, along with its allies in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), controls much of the surrounding territory - to impose a siege on El Obeid.
As well as being the state capital, El Obeid sits on the main road linking east and west Sudan, and serves as an important commercial and logistical hub.
The city of Bara fell to the RSF in March having been taken by SAF only 10 days earlier.
The RSF has previously been accused of carrying out ground attacks targeting civilians while trying to bring parts of Bara under its control.
Last July, almost 300 civilians, including pregnant women and children, were killed in a series of attacks carried out in the region over the course of two days, according to the Emergency Lawyers human rights group.
‘We sought to protect El Fasher civilians’, claims RSF deputy leader
The RSF sought to protect civilians in El Fasher, the group’s deputy leader has claimed, while acknowledging that its soldiers committed “violations” in the city.
In a filmed interview with Sudan Mix, an outlet that frequently publishes content supportive of the RSF, Abdul Rahim Dagalo answered questions about the capture of El Fasher, which fell to the group in October following an 18-month siege.
The days after the fall saw reports of widespread atrocities against civilians, including kidnapping, torture, sexual violence, and summary executions.
Dagalo claimed the RSF opened safe corridors for civilians during the siege and helped them to evacuate the city.
“Any area that could accommodate our citizens, we directed our people in El Fasher to areas with water and safe access routes,” he said.
“Yes, we are in a war, but we must also secure civilians. We created a full system despite airstrikes and threats against our soldiers protecting civilians.”
Throughout the siege, the RSF imposed a total blockade on El Fasher, with supply lines cut off and humanitarian organisations blocked from delivering aid.
Anyone caught trying to smuggle food or medicine into the city risked being detained, tortured, or killed.
Asked about the reported targeting of civilians as the city fell, Dagalo said: “If we say that we do not have people or soldiers who committed violations, then we would not be truthful.
“Those who committed violations, we arrested them and brought them to accountability. Now they are in prisons.”
He added that the leadership of the RSF was “against violations” and that “all commanders undergo human rights training”.
Dagalo - to a greater extent than his brother, RSF leader Muhammad Dagalo 'Hemedti' - is thought to be the main operational commander of RSF forces on the ground in Sudan and was reportedly in El Fasher as it was taken.
A widely-shared clip believed to have been shot in the preceding days showed him telling RSF fighters: “I never want any prisoners.”
Another clip released by the RSF after the fall of the city showed a notorious field commander known as Abu Lulu being led into a prison cell, but a Reuters report last month suggested he had been released and was back in combat.
Dagalo also claimed El Fasher was now the “safest city in Darfur and Kordofan”.
“We give it priority for security,” he said. “The battle has been won by us, and now humanitarian work continues in El Fasher. Schools, water, villages were rebuilt for the citizens.”
More than six months on from the fall of El Fasher, only small amounts of aid have reached the city, while many thousands of civilians believed to have been inside at the time of its capture remain unaccounted for.
The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts, and survivors of the war. Get in touch on +44 7514 796 678 or sudan@avaaz.org.
To get this briefing in your inbox each week, sign up here.
The British Government put cosy relations with the UAE ahead of stopping the horrors unfolding in El Fasher, according to a statement released today by an expert at the centre of the affair.
More than 1,000 civilians have been killed by drone strikes in Sudan this year, the UN has said, amid a renewed spate of attacks on the key city of El Obeid.
Avaaz Foundation
110 Golden Lane | London, England, EC1Y 0TG
1330 6th Avenue, Suite 23A | New York, NY 10019, USA
.svg)
