Components the Sudanese army said came from Akinci drones that flew from Ethiopia and were shot down over Damazin and El Obeid in May, displayed at a press conference in Khartoum on October 28, 2026. Photo: AfriMEOSINT via X
Sudan said on Wednesday that drones used in a wave of attacks on its power stations were launched from inside Ethiopia, including the Bahir Dar airport area, and called it a threat to regional stability.
The accusation was made at a joint press conference in Khartoum, which Anadolu described as a seminar hosted by the Sudan News Agency, by Sudan's ministries of defence, foreign affairs and information, together with the General Intelligence Service. Officials said data extracted from drones shot down by Sudanese air defences showed flight paths that began inside Ethiopian territory, and that satellite images pointed to Bahir Dar as one of the launch locations, according to the news site Sudan Now, which said it could not independently verify the data or the images. The Gov't displayed wreckage and models of drones it said had been intercepted, along with maps of flight routes and targets.
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Muawiya Osman Khalid called the launches "a dangerous development that could undermine security and stability in the region," Xinhua and Anadolu Agency reported. He said Sudan reserved the right to protect itself and would keep the international community informed. Khalid drew a line between the Ethiopian people and the Ethiopian Gov't, Anadolu reported, praising Sudan's ties with Ethiopians while accusing the Gov't of continuing drone attacks against Sudanese civilians. In remarks shared on X by the account @qudus_Mikiel, he said "Sudan has clear evidence and proof of the drones launching from Ethiopia territory."
The press conference followed three days of strikes on Sudan's electricity network. On Monday, October 26, drones hit substations in Singa, Al Hawata, Al Faw, Mashkour and Al Junaid, causing outages across Sennar, Gedaref, White Nile and Gezira states, according to Sudan Now. On Tuesday a drone knocked the Al Markhiyat substation in Omdurman out of service, cutting power across much of Khartoum and River Nile State, and on Wednesday drones struck the power station and fuel facilities in Al Managil in Gezira. Sudan Tribune (@SudanTribune_EN) said officials presented flight data covering attacks on power stations and fuel sites in Khartoum, Gezira and Red Sea states. The Abay Times reported that Wednesday’s strikes also hit fuel storage sites and a pipeline linked to Bashayer Port in Red Sea State.
Sudan blames the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group it has been fighting since April 2023, for the attacks. In earlier statements, according to the account @Sudan_tweet, Khalid accused Addis Ababa of backing the RSF militarily by supplying weapons, recruiting fighters and providing drones.
Khalid also called on the international community to respond to what he described as Ethiopian and Emirati aggression, The Abay Times reported, and Sudan’s defence minister, Hassan Daoud Kabroun, accused more than 20 countries of supporting the RSF with money, drones, logistics and foreign fighters without naming them beyond Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has denied supporting the RSF.
The open source analyst behind the account AfriMEOSINT, Rich Tedd, published a detailed thread on Wednesday night based on the Sudanese army's figures. "Since Feb 2026, a total of 64 drone attacks in Sudan have been confirmed as originating from Ethiopian territory, including ENDF airbases and airports, in support of the RSF," he wrote, adding that the strikes had targeted power stations and caused dozens of civilian casualties. He said the army's figures show at least five Turkish made drones coming from Ethiopia had been shot down since May, three Akinci drones and two Bayraktar TB2s, and noted that Ethiopian TB2s have been seen before at Asosa and Bahir Dar airports. The army also displayed serial numbered parts from Akinci drones it said were downed over Damazin on May 23 and El Obeid on May 17, he wrote.
Mereja could not verify the Sudanese figures, the flight data or the AfriMEOSINT analysis.
Ethiopia has rejected similar accusations before. Ethiopia's mission to the UN called them "baseless" at the Security Council on October 16, and Anadolu noted that Addis Ababa has said it respects Sudan's sovereignty. Xinhua recalled that media reports in February said Ethiopia had hosted an RSF training camp near the border, which Addis Ababa has not confirmed. Addis Standard reported the new accusations on Thursday but carried no fresh Ethiopian response. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was in Moscow for a summit with Russia when the press conference took place.
Mereja has now asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government Communication Service whether Ethiopia rejects the October 28 accusations and whether any drone used against targets in Sudan was launched from its territory. Neither had responded by publication time.
One question was left open in Khartoum. The Sudanese Gov't "did not say whether it believed Ethiopian authorities themselves were directly involved in launching or facilitating the attacks," Sudan Now reported.