Sudan Threatens Retaliation Against Ethiopia Over Drone Attacks

Sudan has publicly accused Ethiopia of launching or permitting drone strikes into Sudanese territory in February and early March.

“The Sudanese government on Monday condemned recent drone attacks on Sudanese territory that it said originated from Ethiopia, calling them “a blatant aggression”

Al-Jazeera Net

Kenyan reporting states that "Sudan accused Ethiopia on March 2 of launching or allowing drone incursions into Sudanese territory throughout February and early March," and quotes Khartoum calling the actions a "blatant violation" and warning it would retaliate "by all means necessary" if attacks continue.

Al-Jazeera Net

Al‑Jazeera records Khartoum's wording as well, calling the incursions "a flagrant violation" of sovereignty and "a blatant aggression," and noting Sudan "reserves the right to defend its territory by various means."

Sudan's statements also sit within a broader regional posture rejecting threats to stability, with Khartoum saying it "rejects actions that undermine regional stability."

Sudan alleges drones entered from Ethiopian soil and struck locations inside Sudan.

Sudan links the alleged strikes to its nearly three‑year internal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Kenyans.co.ke

The recent fighting has been concentrated in Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border.

Kenyans.co.ke reports that unmanned aircraft 'entered from Ethiopian soil and targeted locations inside Sudan' and says the allegation 'signals that Sudan believes Ethiopia may be directly implicated in the nearly three‑year‑old conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces,' with fighting 'concentrated in Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border.'

Al‑Jazeera notes this is 'the first direct accusation against Ethiopia since the three‑year war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces began.'

Sudan Tribune’s coverage of Khartoum’s wider statements points to Sudan’s concerns about external actors, including accusations that the UAE arms the RSF.

International observers and UN officials cited in the coverage warn that drones and external arms supplies are exacerbating civilian harm and widening the conflict.

“**Sudan condemns Iranian attack on Oman as regional tensions soar** March 1, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan on Sunday condemned an Iranian attack on the Sultanate of Oman, declaring its opposition to any actions that undermine the stability of neighbouring nations in the region”

Sudan Tribune

Diplomats at the UN Security Council have flagged external training and arming of militias.

Al‑Jazeera records that Egypt’s UN representative said a neighbouring country had 'set up camps to train, arm and send militias to open a new front in eastern Sudan'.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that a ceasefire is unlikely while external supplies of lethal weapons come from 'at least ten countries'.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, cautioned that the 'increasing use of long‑range drones is widening harm to civilians and contributing to the militarization of society'.

UN figures show Sudan’s war deaths more than doubled in 2025.

Those figures and warnings form a backdrop to Khartoum’s threat to respond if drone strikes continue.

Kenyans.co.ke quotes Khartoum’s warning it would retaliate 'by all means necessary' if the attacks continue, underlining the risk of escalation.

The surrounding regional picture and Sudan’s own recent statements reflect a complex, sometimes contradictory posture that leaves questions about responsibility and alliances unresolved in the available reporting.

Sudan condemned an Iranian strike on Oman's Duqm port as “blatant and illegal” and affirmed solidarity with Omani sovereignty, signalling Khartoum’s public rejection of actions that “undermine regional stability.”

Kenyans.co.ke

Sudan’s earlier denouncements of attacks on several Gulf states conspicuously omitted the UAE, which the Sudanese government accuses of arming the Rapid Support Forces and labels a hostile state.

The accusation that Ethiopia launched or allowed drone incursions is presented as Khartoum’s charge — as Kenyans.co.ke puts it, it “signals that Sudan believes Ethiopia may be directly implicated” — but the articles do not provide independent verification of the strikes’ provenance.

The reports highlight broader external arms and militia dynamics that make attribution contested and the situation volatile.