Sudan accuses Ethiopia for the first time of involvement in its civil war

March 3 (Reuters) – Sudan has accused Ethiopia of allowing drones to be launched from its territory into Sudan to carry out attacks in February and March, the first time it has directly accused its powerful neighbour of involvement in the three-year civil war.

The Sudanese foreign ministry statement, released late on Monday, is the latest sign that one of the world’s deadliest conflicts between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is drawing in regional powers from Africa and beyond.

A spokesperson for the Ethiopian prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters has not independently verified the launching of attack drones from Ethiopia.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the paramilitary RSF in a conflict that has threatened to fracture the country and has driven millions of people to flee their homes.

The statement did not specify where the alleged attacks had taken place, but the southeastern Blue Nile state, which borders Ethiopia, has seen small skirmishes and drone attacks in recent weeks, according to eyewitnesses.

Parts of Blue Nile are controlled by the SPLM-N rebel group which aligned with the RSF last year.

The alleged drone attacks represent “a blatant violation of Sudanese sovereignty and an outright act of aggression against the Sudanese state,” the foreign ministry said in its statement.

“The Sudanese government warns the Ethiopian authorities against the consequences of these hostile acts and affirms its right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the right to respond to such attacks by all available means,” it added.

Last month, Reuters exclusively reported that Ethiopia was hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the RSF.

Ethiopia’s government spokesperson, its army and the RSF did not respond to detailed requests for comment about the findings of that story. The Sudanese Armed Forces also did not respond to a request for comment on the story.

The RSF controls the Darfur region in Sudan’s west, while the army maintains control of the country’s eastern half.

The two sides are also fighting over the Kordofan region which lies between their firm zones of control.

Drones have become a dominant feature of the war, allowing the RSF to match the more established army’s dominance in the air and contributing to mass civilian casualties.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Mike Collett-White)