Sudanese army downs new CH-95 drone near Nyala with Turkish Akıncı

Footage published Thursday showed a Sudanese army Bayraktar Akıncı tracking and downing a Chinese-made CH-95 drone used by the Rapid Support Forces near Nyala. Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, is the Rapid Support Forces’ most prominent stronghold and a hub for its drone operations.

Clash Report, a website specializing in defense affairs, posted a video on Thursday, November 5, saying it showed a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akıncı operated by the Sudanese army downing a Chinese-made CH-95 drone used by the Rapid Support Forces near Nyala in South Darfur state.

No official statement from the Sudanese army or the Rapid Support Forces on the operation was available by the time of publication. The incident comes as the drone war between the two sides intensifies on the fronts in Darfur and Kordofan.

The footage, which lasts about 25 seconds, shows the aircraft’s camera locking onto a drone flying over an open area before switching to a thermal image in which the camera closes in on the targeted drone at very close range. Objects can be seen hanging beneath the drone’s wings.

Nyala... the heart of Darfur’s drone war

Nyala, which is under the control of the Rapid Support Forces, has become one of the Sudanese war’s main theaters of drone warfare. Sudan Tribune reported that the Rapid Support Forces rehabilitated the city’s airport and used it to receive supplies. Satellite images carried by Reuters in February 2025 showed CH-95 drones and newly built hangars at the airport.

The newspaper says the army stopped using warplanes over Darfur in February 2025 after the Rapid Support Forces shot down at least three aircraft using air defense systems deployed in the region. Since then, it has relied on long-range drones for deep strikes, including repeated attacks targeting Nyala airport.

The city also carries political significance. On August 30, 2025, Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo was sworn in there as president of a presidential council for a parallel government announced by the Founding Alliance. The UN Security Council rejected the establishment of that government, while the African Union Peace and Security Council called on member states not to recognize or support it.

Aerial view of the Nyala Valley in South Darfur state

A series of shoot-downs since the summer

This is not the first time the Akıncı has been observed targeting CH-95 drones. On July 13, 2026, Clash Report posted footage saying it showed the Turkish aircraft downing a drone of this type with an air-to-air missile northwest of El Obeid in North Kordofan, then destroying a second drone on the ground. Similar aerial engagements followed in August and September, with defense reports suggesting that they were carried out using high-speed Eren loitering munitions produced by Türkiye’s Roketsan.

The Sudanese army, for its part, regularly announces that its air defenses have shot down FH-95 drones, a Chinese version of the same class. Al Jazeera reported that the army announced on November 2 that it had downed an “enemy” drone of this type in West Kordofan state. Sudan Tribune reported in September that air defenses had shot down about eight FH-95 drones over 10 days in North Kordofan, Blue Nile and the vicinity of El Fasher.

War enters its fourth year

The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been at war since April 2023, leaving tens of thousands dead and about 13 million displaced, according to UN and international estimates. Drone attacks have expanded in recent days, striking 16 power stations in several states within one week and causing electricity outages across wide areas, Al Jazeera reported.

Video: Clash Report. Images: Wikimedia Commons

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Sudanese army downs new CH-95 drone near Nyala with Turkish Akıncı