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Sudan Army Pushes Toward El-Khwei in West Kordofan, Reports Another FH-95 Drone Downed
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Sudan Army Pushes Toward El-Khwei in West Kordofan, Reports Another FH-95 Drone Downed

Sudan's army says it has taken Iyal Bakhit and Umm Marahik near El-Khwei and shot down another FH-95 drone near Wad Banda, as its West Kordofan offensive against the RSF continues.

4 min read
Sudanese Armed Forces soldier in Habila, South Kordofan
A Sudanese Armed Forces soldier in Habila, South Kordofan, during an earlier phase of the Kordofan campaign (file photo). Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Sudan’s army and allied forces are pushing west against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in West Kordofan. The army says it has taken Iyal Bakhit and Umm Marahik in El-Khwei (Al-Khuwei) district and shot down another Chinese-designed FH-95 long-range drone near Wad Banda. The offensive is aimed at El-Khwei, a junction town linking central Sudan with West Kordofan and, beyond it, the routes into Darfur.

What the army and its allies say

The Sudanese army said on 7 November that it had taken control of Iyal Bakhit, on the border between North and West Kordofan. A spokesperson for the Special Action Forces fighting alongside the army, Mohammed Didan, said RSF forces had been expelled from the area, Sudan Tribune and SudaNews reported. The army also announced the capture of Umm Marahik in the same district, according to Radio Tamazuj and Anadolu Agency.

On 8 November, military sources told Sudan Tribune that the army and the Joint Force of armed movements fought heavy battles at Abu Minaiqir, about 55 km north of El-Khwei, and near Um Kuraidim, the capital of West Bara locality. A Joint Force spokesperson said its troops were carrying out extensive sweeps and had destroyed and captured “numerous” RSF combat vehicles. Military sources speaking anonymously to Anadolu described a three-hour battle near El-Khwei in which they said the RSF force involved was destroyed.

These battlefield claims come from the army, its allies and anonymous military sources. Videos posted by army- and Joint Force-linked accounts appear to show destroyed and captured vehicles, but DefenceMENA could not independently verify casualty figures or the number of vehicles. The RSF had not publicly responded in the reporting reviewed.

Another FH-95 shoot-down

In a brief statement, the army said its air defences shot down a “hostile” FH-95 drone east of Wad Banda around midday on 7 November, without naming the operator, Anadolu and Radio Tamazuj reported. It follows an FH-95 shoot-down over Iyal Bakhit that the army announced on 7 November, and another south of Wad Banda on 2 November, which DefenceMENA examined earlier.

Outlets count the losses differently. Sudan Tribune described the latest drone as the third downed in Kordofan within 72 hours. Anadolu and Radio Tamazuj called it the fourth in West Kordofan in a week. The difference appears to reflect the time window used. Neither figure has been independently confirmed. The FH-95 is a Chinese-designed long-endurance drone for reconnaissance, surveillance and electronic-warfare missions that can stay airborne for more than 12 hours, according to Anadolu.

Why El-Khwei matters

El-Khwei links central Sudan to West Kordofan and is a livestock trading hub in the gum arabic belt, according to Anadolu. Sudan Tribune said the army’s push west is meant to secure routes for future operations in Darfur, the RSF’s main stronghold. The current phase resumed in early November after operations to retake RSF-held areas south and west of El Obeid in North Kordofan. It extends a broader Kordofan campaign that the army launched in June.

Supporters of the army have also shared footage of residents in Kordofan villages greeting advancing troops. One example is a post by the large Sudanese news account @Sudan_tweet, which framed the scenes as relief from RSF abuses. The videos show local welcomes. They do not by themselves establish who controls which villages, and the post comes from an account that openly sides with the army.

Analysis

The fighting shows how the war has settled into a struggle for Kordofan, the region between the army-held centre and the RSF-held west. Long-range drones are used on both sides of that front. For the army, taking El-Khwei would open a line of advance towards Darfur and cut RSF access to North Kordofan. For the RSF, drones such as the FH-95 are a way to watch and strike army supply columns across open terrain. The army’s repeated claims of shoot-downs suggest it has improved its air defences on this front, although it gives few details. DefenceMENA’s guide to drones in Sudan’s war sets out the wider pattern.

What is not known

  • Whether the army has reached or entered El-Khwei, and how firmly it holds the villages it has claimed.
  • Casualty figures and vehicle losses on either side.
  • Who operated the FH-95 drones that were shot down, and with what weapons the army downed them.
  • How the RSF will respond, including any counter-attacks on supply lines from El Obeid.

Sources

Method: the territorial and shoot-down claims are the Sudanese army’s and its allies’ own statements, as reported by Sudan Tribune, Anadolu Agency, Radio Tamazuj and SudaNews. Battlefield losses and drone tallies are attributed and have not been independently verified.