Sudan military says drone from Ethiopia shot down near Ed Damazin

May 23, 2026 (ED DAMAZIN) – The Sudanese army announced on Saturday that it had shot down a hostile drone coming from Ethiopia near the city of Ed Damazin in the Blue Nile region, located in the country’s southeast.

The military said in a statement that the Sudanese armed forces intercepted and downed the hostile drone near Ed Damazin after it crossed the border from the direction of Ethiopia.

Local sources told Sudan Tribune that powerful explosions were heard across various parts of Ed Damazin at dawn on Saturday as army air defences engaged a drone flying in the area’s airspace.

The incident follows statements by the Sudanese government on May 5 claiming it holds evidence proving Ethiopian involvement in aggression against Sudan. Khartoum alleged that Ethiopia allocated runways for drones at Bahir Dar airport to attack civilian targets in Khartoum, Al-Gezira, White Nile, and North Kordofan states.

Since the beginning of this year, an alliance comprising the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) has launched attacks on the towns of Kurmuk, Geissan, and Baw, as well as surrounding villages, destroying infrastructure and disrupting commercial and agricultural activities.

In March, this alliance seized control of the strategic town of Kurmuk and other surrounding areas in an assault that the Sudanese government said was launched from within Ethiopian territory.

The fighting in the southern and western parts of the Blue Nile region has displaced approximately 50,000 people from their homes, forcing them to flee to Ed Damazin, Roseires, and villages around Kurmuk and Geissan.