Egypt Deploys Advanced Turkish Drones to Border, Deepening Role in Sudan's Civil War

CAIRO/DUBAI – Egypt has positioned advanced Turkish-made combat drones at a strategic airstrip near its border with Sudan, a move analysts describe as a decisive shift from political support to direct military engagement in its neighbor’s devastating civil war. The deployment signals Cairo’s growing determination to prevent the conflict from spilling across its frontiers and to curb the advances of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Satellite images analyzed by Reuters and reviewed by independent military experts show Bayraktar Akinci drones present at the East Oweinat airbase in southwestern Egypt on multiple occasions since September. The high-altitude drone, capable of 24-hour flights and carrying a significant payload, represents a major upgrade in surveillance and strike capabilities for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which Cairo has long backed.

"This isn't just a border patrol upgrade," said a regional security official who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. "The Akinci's presence is a clear message. Egypt is now a direct player in the air war over Sudan."

For nearly three years, Egypt maintained a stance of strong political and logistical support for the Sudanese military while publicly avoiding overt intervention. That calculus changed in late 2024 following a series of RSF victories in Darfur, including the capture of the strategic city of al-Fashir in October. The fall of al-Fashir, a city long held by the Sudanese army, erased a critical buffer between the RSF and Egypt's southern border.

"The fall of al-Fashir was a red line," said Jalel Harchaoui, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. "It demonstrated the RSF's ability to conquer and hold territory, bringing the frontline uncomfortably close to Egypt. Cairo's previous ambiguity has given way to a more proactive, and riskier, posture."

In December, the Egyptian presidency explicitly linked its national security to Sudan's stability, vowing to protect its "red lines"—a statement now backed by visible military hardware. Flight tracking data shows multiple cargo flights from Turkey, where the Akinci is manufactured and tested, landing at East Oweinat in recent months.

The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has already drawn in a complex web of foreign actors. The United Arab Emirates has been accused of backing the RSF, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia have supported the Sudanese military. Turkey, now normalizing relations with Egypt after a decade-long rift, has emerged as a key arms supplier. A Turkish defence source confirmed an agreement was reached to sell Akinci drones to Egypt in 2024.

The RSF has repeatedly accused Egypt of conducting airstrikes against its positions, claims Cairo has denied. In mid-January, the group posted videos purporting to show a downed Akinci near its stronghold of Nyala. While the wreckage was consistent with the drone model, Reuters could not independently verify the incident.

Analysts point to the strategic location of the East Oweinat base, less than 400 km from a volatile border triangle where Libya, Sudan, and Egypt meet. This region has served as a supply corridor for the RSF. By projecting air power from this remote strip, Egypt aims to sever these lines and prevent the paramilitary group from consolidating control along its border.

"Egypt views a hostile force controlling its southern border as an existential threat, historically and in terms of Nile water security," said Justin Lynch of the Conflict Insights Group. "The drone deployment is the tangible output of a policy shift that was inevitable once the SAF proved unable to halt the RSF's momentum."

The base itself has undergone visible expansions, with runway repairs and new construction visible in satellite imagery, suggesting a longer-term military commitment. The move risks escalating a proxy conflict into a more direct confrontation between regional powers, further complicating stalled peace efforts led by the "Quad" of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US, and Egypt itself.

Voices from the Region

Amira Khalid, Political Science Professor, University of Khartoum (now based in Cairo): "This escalation was predictable. Egypt's core interests—the Nile, border stability, and preventing a militant spillover—are now directly in the crosshairs. While it strengthens the SAF's hand in the short term, it also internationalizes the conflict further, making a negotiated settlement even more elusive."

Omar Farouk, Retired Egyptian Army Colonel, Cairo: "This is a sovereign right and a strategic necessity. When a militia accused of atrocities marches toward your border, you act. Egypt is not initiating conflict; it is securing its perimeter and supporting the legitimate government of Sudan. The world should be applauding this stability, not questioning it."

Yasmin Rashed, Human Rights Advocate, Port Sudan: "It's a catastrophe. Every new foreign weapon, whether from Turkey, the UAE, or now operated by Egypt, translates into more Sudanese graves, more burned villages, more famine. The great powers are using our homeland as a testing ground for their drones and their rivalries, while millions of us pay the price. This isn't 'stability'—it's fueled annihilation."

Thomas Wright, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington D.C.: "The Horn of Africa is witnessing the fragmentation of its security architecture. Egypt's move is a direct response to perceived Emirati influence through the RSF. We're seeing the regionalization of the Sudan war, with Ankara, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh all pursuing competing security agendas. The risk of miscalculation is dangerously high."

Reporting contributed by Alexander Dziadosz in Cairo, Marine Delrue in Barcelona, and Maria Paula Laguna in Mexico City. Satellite imagery analysis provided by Vantor and Planet Labs.