Sudan’s de-facto leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has reportedly survived an assassination attempt following a drone attack on an army base in the country’s east. The Sudanese military confirmed that two drones struck the base on Wednesday, shortly after a graduation ceremony attended by Gen. al-Burhan. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least five people and injuries to several others. The incident occurred in the town of Gebeit, shaking the region.
The Sudanese army spokesperson, Nabil Abdallah, blamed the attack on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group locked in a power struggle with the army for the past 15 months. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Sudanese military shared a video showing Gen. al-Burhan attending a burial ceremony for those killed in the attack in Port Sudan. However, the army did not provide information about whether Gen. al-Burhan sustained any injuries during the attack.
While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the strikes, the RSF has not denied its involvement. The ongoing conflict between Gen. al-Burhan and his rival, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, who leads the RSF, has plunged Sudan into chaos. The power struggle has resulted in the deaths of 18,000 people and displaced at least 10 million, according to the United Nations. The escalating violence has also left Sudan’s 48 million people facing severe hunger.
Both the army and the RSF have utilized drones in the conflict, with some of these drones allegedly supplied by foreign allies like Iran or the United Arab Emirates. The RSF has intensified its attacks against the army, aiming to secure control of the capital, Khartoum. Clashes between the two groups have also been reported in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and in the southeastern state of Sennar.
The army and the RSF were once allies who jointly suppressed pro-democracy forces after the overthrow of Sudan’s long-time dictator, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. However, their relationship deteriorated due to disagreements over who should hold supreme power in the country and the pace of merging their forces into a single army. The ongoing conflict has created a dire situation for the Sudanese people, with their lives and livelihoods disrupted by the violence and instability.
