A recently circulated video showing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters displaying the wreckage of an Iranian Mohajer-6 drone has ignited controversy online. Yet, the real issue is not only Iran’s support for Sudan’s army but also the nature, scale, and cost of such weapon transfers. Reports published by Bloomberg confirm that Tehran has been supplying drones and advanced weaponry to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), signaling that the war in Sudan is no longer a domestic conflict alone—it has become part of Iran’s regional expansion strategy across the Red Sea.
Sudan, already battered by relentless airstrikes, artillery fire, and drone attacks, finds itself once again at a historic crossroads. Instead of moving toward peace, the country risks deeper isolation and renewed sanctions reminiscent of the decades-long embargo under the former Islamist regime that crippled Sudan’s progress and prosperity.
The nation’s 670-kilometer Red Sea coastline, strategically vital, is now a target of Iranian ambitions. By restoring diplomatic relations with Tehran, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sovereignty Council and commander of the SAF, has opened Sudan’s gates to Iranian security delegations, military advisors, and intelligence operatives. This rapprochement coincides with the re-emergence of Islamist networks tied to the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP) and the Muslim Brotherhood, long regarded as Iran’s entry point into Sudan. With no legitimate civilian government in control and the army locked in a brutal war with the RSF, Sudan has become fertile ground for external influence and internal decay.
The influx of Iranian weapons has emboldened the army, shifting its role from defensive maneuvers to aggressive offensives. This shift has not only altered battlefield dynamics but also strengthened the grip of Islamist hardliners—known locally as the kizan—over state institutions. Under the guise of “supporting the war effort,” they are embedding themselves in every sector of governance, reviving the same failed policies and authoritarian practices that once drove Sudan into international isolation.
What makes this trajectory more alarming is the growing attempt to reshape the Sudanese Armed Forces into a sectarian militia modeled after Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces. If realized, this transformation would mark a dangerous turning point, turning Sudan into a hub of extremist militias and foreign-backed proxy forces. Such a development would inevitably trigger international intervention, particularly from the United States, Israel, and European powers, all unwilling to tolerate a new axis of Iranian influence on the Red Sea.
Sudan does not need Iranian drones or Islamist militias. What it needs is a political and humanitarian reset—one that prioritizes national unity, ends the cycle of violence, and prevents the recycling of discredited regimes. Only a credible, inclusive political project can rescue Sudan from descending further into chaos. Without it, the country risks becoming not only a forgotten battleground but also a staging ground for wider regional conflicts that will leave the Sudanese people paying the highest price
