Drone strike kills one at Sudan Shield camp in Al-Jazirah

January 7, 2026 (AL-BUTANA) – A drone strike, suspected to have been launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeted a Sudan Shield Forces (SSF) camp in the Butana plains of Al-Jazirah State in central Sudan on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring five others.

Local sources told Sudan Tribune that the drone attacked the camp in the areas of Jebel Al-Labtiour and Qureimat Al-Radma. The strike resulted in the death of one soldier and left five others with injuries.

Youssef Amara Abusun, an SSF commander, said on Facebook that these aggressive acts would not deter the will of the Sudanese people or undermine their cohesion. He added that such attacks would increase their determination to defend their land and dignity.

In May 2025, 13 members of the Sudan Shield Forces were killed, and others were wounded in a similar drone strike targeting a camp in the Butana region. The forces also accused the RSF of responsibility for that incident.

The SSF, which operates across the Butana plains in Al-Jazirah and Gedaref states, fight alongside the Sudanese Army. This alignment followed the defection of their commander, Abu Aqla Keikal, from the RSF in October 2024.

The shift in allegiance allowed the army and its allies to reclaim the entirety of Al-Jazirah and Khartoum states before the forces later moved operations into the Kordofan region.