SAF Drone Strikes Hit Nyala Second Consecutive Day; RSF Bayraktar Akıncı UCAV Downed Over Nyala Airport

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) drone strikes targeted RSF positions in Nyala, South Darfur for the second consecutive day on May 11, 2026, with at least three explosions reported striking central Nyala, the international airport area, and the Al-Riyadh neighborhood. The SAF claimed the combined May 10–11 strikes destroyed 240 RSF military vehicles and killed hundreds of RSF fighters — figures that could not be independently verified. In a significant tactical development, SAF Air Defense Forces reported shooting down a Turkish-made Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) operated by the RSF over Nyala Airport. The Bayraktar Akıncı is a more advanced, heavier UCAV than the previously documented TB2, capable of carrying larger payloads and operating at greater ranges. Its reported deployment with RSF indicates a potential upgrade in RSF unmanned aerial capabilities, likely supplied through Turkey–UAE networks. The downing adds to the pattern of drone-on-drone aerial warfare over South Darfur. Nyala is the capital of South Darfur State and Sudan's second-largest city, under complete RSF control since October 2023, and serves as the seat of the RSF-backed 'Government of Peace and Unity.'