Al-Burhan assassination attempt.. Increased use of drones threatens to expand the war

Aljazeera.net correspondents

Khartoum- The Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Sudanese Army, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, survived an assassination attempt by a drone in the Jabit area of the Red Sea State, while 5 officers were killed in the incident, which experts estimated was carried out by the Rapid Support Forces, to expand the scope of the war to the east of the country, and target the temporary administrative capital, “Port Sudan.”

The Sudanese army spokesman's office said in a brief statement, “Today, anti-aircraft weapons intercepted two hostile drones that targeted the site of the graduation ceremony for batches from the military, air and naval colleges.”

Military sources in Jabal explained to Al Jazeera Net that the first suicide drone fell behind the platform in the hall where the ceremony was taking place, and the second fell half an hour later at the site of Burhan’s helicopter, which was moved after the first incident, as the attempt took place at the Infantry Institute Stadium in Jabal, which is about 100 kilometres from Port Sudan.

After the attempt

Military sources, who requested anonymity, said that Burhan addressed the officers graduating from the Infantry Institute, inspected the wounded at Jabal Hospital after the accident, and visited the area’s market before leaving for Port Sudan.

Half an hour after the assassination attempt, Al-Burhan said, “The Sudanese army will not negotiate with the Rapid Support Forces, and is not afraid of drones or death, and will continue to fight.”

He added while addressing the graduating officers, “We will not lay down the gun until the country is cleansed of any rebel or mercenary, and we will continue to crush and eliminate the militia,” adding, “Our battle with the enemy continues, and we will not retreat or surrender, and we will not negotiate with any party, no matter who it is.”

For his part, the advisor to the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Pasha Tabiq, said in a tweet on the “X” platform, that “the attempt to assassinate Al-Burhan is an implementation of a threat directed at him by the Al-Baraa Brigade,” which is a group of young men fighting with the Sudanese army.

The assassination attempt on Burhan in Jabal is an implementation of the threat directed at Burhan by the terrorist Al-Baraa Brigade in the event that Burhan agrees to send the army delegation to the Geneva negotiations. It is a clear message from the war current within the National Congress and the Islamic Movement led by Ali Karti. We are expected to see liquidations and assassinations within the leaders of…
– Elbashatbaeq (@Elbashatbaeq) July 31, 2024

Expand the war

Military and political researcher Suleiman Musa Abdullah believes that the Rapid Support Forces’ intensified use of drones over safe states represents a security threat that threatens to expand the scope of the war, in the context of its efforts to transfer the conflict to the northern and eastern states, especially since the forces’ leadership has continued to threaten to transfer the war even to Port Sudan.

According to the researcher's statement to Al Jazeera Net, the continuation of offensive operations with drones indicates the existence of a continuous logistical supply for the Rapid Support Forces from outside the borders, and if those forces obtain more advanced versions of drones, this would ignite the war and make it more destructive.

At the same time, the researcher does not expect the incident that Al-Burhan was exposed to to lead to the cessation of American efforts to revive the peace process and hold negotiations between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, but he considered that it does not help in preparing the atmosphere for negotiations and strengthens the position of the parties that refuse to reach an understanding with the Rapid Support Forces.

The attack targeting Al-Burhan was preceded by several night attacks launched by drones on security headquarters in Kosti in the White Nile State in central Sudan, which resulted in the death of an officer in the General Intelligence Service and the injury of others, in addition to damaging one of the faculties of Imam Al-Mahdi University in Kosti, which was targeted by one of the drones.

Last Monday, Rabak, the capital of the White Nile State neighboring Kosti, witnessed a drone attack targeting an army camp, in addition to two drones that attacked the Kenana Air Base in the state. Also, last Monday, drones attacked government headquarters next to the headquarters of the River Nile State government in the city of Ad-Damar, which is about 310 kilometers north of the capital, Khartoum, without any casualties.

For months, the Rapid Support Forces have been attacking cities controlled by the army with drones. The first attack was on a Ramadan breakfast by the “Al-Baraa Bin Malik Battalion,” which fights alongside the army in Atbara, River Nile State, last April. The attack resulted in 12 deaths and injuries. Rapid Support Forces drones also attacked the cities of Al-Qadarif in eastern Sudan, Shendi in River Nile State, and military and civilian sites in Khartoum.

Intelligence failure

For his part, military and security expert, retired Major General Mazen Ismail, believes that what happened in Jabal is “not just an intelligence failure, but a clear failure in the process of managing the war and the state.” He says that “there is an insistence on selecting failures and keeping them in important positions in state institutions.”

In a statement to Al Jazeera Net, he ruled out the possibility of foreign hands being involved in the attempted assassination of Burhan, and revealed a multinational command and control room outside the country, which manages the military operations of the Rapid Support Forces, organizes media campaigns and public relations for the forces’ leaders and their political allies, and directs regional and international diplomatic activity in their favor.

An aviation engineer, who asked not to be identified, said the RSF uses two types of drones:

The first is a Serbian-made Quadcopter made of commercial components, carrying 120mm mortar bombs. It appeared in June 2023, and attacked the headquarters of the Armored Corps and the General Command of the Army in Khartoum. It relies on coordinates and explodes on the target, which is why it was called a “suicide bomber.”
According to the engineer’s statement to Al Jazeera Net, the Rapid Support Forces also have other Chinese-made aircraft that run on gasoline or an electric battery, and cannot be controlled after launch. Their range can reach more than 300 kilometers, and their accuracy depends on the entered coordinates and the experience of the technical crew, and they are cheap.