Iran and United Arab Emirates (UAE) dey face accuse say dem disobey one UN arms embargo by supplying drones to di groups wey dey fight each oda for di 14-month conflict wey don scata Sudan.

We dey look torchlight di evidence to back-up dis accuse.

On di morning of 12 March 2024, Sudan goment soldiers bin dey celebrate di ogbonge military achievement.

Dem don finally recapture di state broadcaster headquarters for di kontri capital, Khartoum.

Like most of di city, di building bin fall for di hand of di paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for di beginning of di civil war 11 months earlier.

Di tin to notice for dis victory be say videos show say dem carry out di attack wit di help of made in Iran drones.

Dem see drones

For di beginning of di war, Sudan army bin depend on dia air force, according to Suliman Baldo, director of Sudan Transparency and Policy Observatory.

“Di armed forces discova say dem don kolobi all dia preferential forces, and dem no get fighting forces for ground," im tok.

Di RSF maintain ground control of most of Khartoum and Darfur for west of Sudan, while SAF maintain im presence for sky.

By early January 2024, one video appear for Twitter of one army drone wey RSF shoot down.

According to Wim Zwijnenburg, one drone expert and head of Humanitarian Disarmament Project for Dutch peace organisation PAX, di pieces, engine, and tail resemble one Iran-manufactured drone wey dem dey call Mohajer-6.

Di Mohajer-6 dey 6.5m long, fit fly up to 2,000km and carry out airstrikes wit guided freefall weapons.

Zwijnenburg identify anoda version of di drone for one satellite image of di army Wadi Seidna military base, north of Khartoum, wey dem bin take three days later.

“Dis drones make sense wella becos dem fit identify targets accurately wit minimal training,” Zwijnenburg says.

Three weeks afta dem shoot down Mohajer-6, video show of anoda drone wey RSF drop.

Zwijnenburg match dis one to di Zajil-3 – one locally manufactured version of Iran Ababil-3 drone.

Dem don dey use di Zagjil-3 drones for Sudan for years. But January na dia first time to use am for di war, as BBC and PAX observe.

For March, Zwijnenburg identify one more version of Zajil-3 wey satellite capture for image of Wadi Seidna.

“[Na] indication of active Iran support for di Sudan army," im tok, although Sudan governing council don deny say dem buy weapons from Iran.

"If di dem equip dis drones wit guided munitions, e mean say na Iran supply becos dem no dey produce dem for Sudan," Zwijnenburg add.

For early December, one Boeing 747 passenger plane wey belong to Iran cargo carrier Qeshm Fars Air take off from Bandar Abbas airport for Iran, dey go towards di Red Sea bifor e disappear from radar.

Hours later, satellites capture image of one plane of di same type for Port Sudan airport for east of di kontri, wia Sudan army base.

One foto of di same plane as e dey for runway later circulate for Twitter.

Dem bin repeat dis flight five times until end of January, di same month dem document di use of Iran drones.

Qeshm Fars Air dey face US sanction due to plenty accusations of transporting weapons and fighters around Middle East, particularly to Syria, one of Iran main allies.

Each side get wetin dem dey target

Sudan bin get long history of military cooperation wit Iran bifor relationship between dem end for 2016 due to one quarrel between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Sudan bin dey side wit Saudi Arabia.

"Many Sudan weapons na locally made versions of Iran models," Suliman Baldo tok.

Since di start of dis current conflict, Sudan goment don repair relationship wit Tehran.

According to Baldo, each side get wetin dem dey target.

"Iran dey look for how to stand gidigba for di region. If dem find geostrategic compromise, dem go surely provide more advanced and plenty drones,” im tok.

BBC contact Sudan army, Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Qeshm Fars Air to comment on di accuse say dem dey use Iran drones for di conflict but no get any response.

But for one interview wit BBC, Malik Agar, vice president of Sudan Sovereign Council, say: " We no dey receive any weapons from any party… Weapons dey available for black market, and di black market dey grey now”.

Dem ignore UN arms embargo

Meanwhile, evidence emerge early for di war say di RSF don use quadcopter drones made from commercial components, wey dey capable of dropping 120mm mortar shells.

Foto and video for social media show di army bin shoot down many of dis drones.

Brian Castner, one weapons expert for Amnesty International, point finger to UAE.

"Di UAE bin supply im supporter wit di same drone for oda conflict areas like Ethiopia and Yemen,” im tok.

According to one UN report wey dem present for di Security Council earlier dis year, aviation tracking experts observe one civilian aircraft air bridge as e bin dey allegedly transport weapons from UAE to di RSF – allegation wey UAE deny.

Di route start from Abu Dhabi airport, pass through Nairobi and Kampala airports, before e end for Amdjarass airport for Chad, few kilometres from Sudan western border, wia RSF get im stronghold.

UN report also cite local sources and military groups wey bin report say vehicles wey carry arms unload planes for Amdjarass airport several times a week, before dem travel go Darfur and di rest of Sudan.

"UAE also get economic interests for Sudan and im sef wan stand gidigba for di Red Sea," Baldo say.

UAE don deny many times say dis flights dey transport weapons, as dem say instead na humanitarian aid dem dey deliver.

Inside one statement, one goment official tell BBC say UAE dey committed to “peaceful solution to di ongoing conflict”.

RSF never respond to BBC request for comment.

Di drones wey both sides of di civil war bin allegedly import dey against one UN Security Council resolution wey dem give for 2005, wey forbid di supply of weapons to Sudan goment and armed factions for Darfur.

"Di Security Council must take responsibility and consider di state of Sudan, di famine wey dey front, and di number of pipo wey don die and displaced, and immediately enforce comprehensive arms embargo on all of Sudan," Castner say.

Miracle survival

Since drones appear for Sudan skies, di situation wey dey ground don partially change.

Sudan army don manage to break di restriction wey dem bin impose on im soldiers for several locations.

And di RSF don withdraw from some neighbourhoods west of di capital.

According to Suliman Baldo, dis change happun thanks to Iran drones.

Afta more dan one year of war, at least 16,650 civilians don die, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimate say 12 million pipo dey forced to leave dia house.

Abdullah Makkawi na one wey fly to Egypt. Wen im bin still dey for southern Khartoum last July, im say im narrowly escape death wen drones, wey im say belong to RSF, attack.

“I rush enta house, and we took refuge for one room wey get concrete roof... My mother, four siblings and me hide under beds,” im say.

Abdullah say dem hear di sound of drone shell dey fall on di next room, wey get wooden roof.

“If we bin dey di oda room, we for all don die. We survive by miracle,” im say.

For di beginning of 2024, di conflict spread to new areas outside di capital.

Dem report civilian death sake of di drone attacks for di first time for northern, eastern and central Sudan.

Before im run go Egypt, Abdullah leave im family for Port Sudan for di East, becos im consider am safe place.

But now im fear say drones fit reach dem dia too.

“Sudan pipo don tire for di war. All we want na for dis war to stop. If foreign kontris stop to dey support di two sides wit weapons, e go end.”


One drone wey dem identify for Wadi Seidna military base dey 6.5m long and get wingspan of 10m


Foto wey dem post for by @SudanSena wey BBC bin geolocate to Port Sudan airport bin suggest weapons shipment



One PAX drones expert suggest say dis foto wey one X account wey dem call @RapidSupportSdn post show one Zagil 3 drone


Sudan army bin capture many quadcopter drones wey RSF bin use