US EditionEgypt's Drone Deployment to Border Raises Stakes in Sudan's Civil War
Egypt has conducted drone strikes from a hidden base for over six months to support Sudan's government against RSF advances, with thousands killed in North Darfur, aid groups report.
- CAIRO, Feb 2- Egypt is using the East Oweinat airstrip to strike RSF, according to The New York Times, indicating a sharp escalation in Sudan's civil war.
- Facing RSF territorial gains and el-Fasher's fall, Egypt provided staunch political backing to the Sudanese Armed Forces, warning in December that its national security red lines must not be crossed.
- Satellite imagery and flight records show Bayraktar Akinci drones, support equipment, and runway renovations at East Oweinat airstrip, indicating active basing and drone sustainment.
- Analysts warn the deployment signals a sharp escalation, drawing Egypt more directly into Sudan's nearly three-year war, while RSF claims drones were launched from a foreign base and will respond.
- Flight-Tracking shows five of six flights into East Oweinat came from Turkey, while the East Oweinat desert reclamation project has Emirati agricultural investment, blurring military and civilian use.
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12 Articles
Al-Monitor
The Straits TimesEgypt's drone deployment to border raises stakes in Sudan's civil war
By Alexander Dziadosz, Marine Delrue and Maria Paula LagunaCAIRO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The deployment of a powerful model of Turkish combat drone to a remote airstrip on Egypt’s southwestern border signals a sharp escalation in Sudan’s civil war, suggesting one of its largest neighbours is being drawn deeper into the fray, more than a dozen officials and regional experts say.
The Secret Egyptian Air Base Behind Sudan’s Drone War
The airstrip sits next to giant crop circles at the edge of the Sahara. Military drones take off over enormous fields of wheat, leaving their covert base for one of the world’s biggest drone wars. The base is in Egypt, hidden amid a vast, agricultural project in the country’s Western desert. But the targets are in Sudan. The clandestine drone operation offers new evidence of how the civil war in Sudan — racked by famine, atrocities and tens of t…
A New York Times investigation has revealed that the Sudanese military is using a secret facility at the heart of an agricultural project to attack the rebels. Egypt's president hinted at his intervention after a strategic city fell last year after a brutal siege. The rebels, who are backed by the Emirates, threatened: "Any drone anywhere is a legitimate target."
Located at the desert borders of the border with the Sudan, this base allows Cairo to directly support the Sudanese armed forces in their war against the Quick Support Forces. The Sudanese internal conflict is regionalized, fueled by the divergent interests of other countries.
Report alleges secret Egypt base used for drone strikes in Sudan
A report by the New York Times has revealed the existence of a secret military base inside Egypt’s East Oweinat agricultural project, which the newspaper says has been used to launch foreign drones carrying out strikes inside Sudan. According to the report, satellite imagery shows the base has been expanded since 2018. Images reviewed by the newspaper also identified Turkish cargo aircraft and advanced drones at the site in mid-2025. The report …
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