Conflict archive

2011 South Kordofan and Blue Nile Conflict Weapons and Equipment

A post-2011 Sudanese conflict centered on South Kordofan and Blue Nile, involving Sudanese state forces and SPLM-N-aligned armed groups after South Sudan's independence.

The South Kordofan and Blue Nile Conflict 2011-present began in 2011 as fighting between Sudanese government forces and SPLM-N-linked rebels spread across Sudan's southern borderlands. The archive scope is narrow: it covers sourced equipment use in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and closely connected border fighting rather than the wider current Sudan War 2023-present.

This archive tracks weapon systems directly documented in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile Conflict 2011-present after the 2011 split between Sudan and South Sudan.

Entries should connect equipment to source-backed use, loss, capture, or fielding by Sudanese government forces or SPLM-N-aligned rebel forces in the two border regions.

1 weapon systems

Context

Status
Published archive
Location
South Kordofan and Blue Nile, Sudan
Countries
Sudan
Regions
South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains
Domains
land, air, UAV, border clashes

The connected weapon archive should stay tied to direct field evidence, because open-source visibility in South Kordofan and Blue Nile is uneven. Current coverage includes documented Sudanese Armed Forces UAV use and should expand only when sources directly identify specific equipment in this conflict scope.

Map

South Kordofan and Blue Nile, Sudan

Open map

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Timeline

Key Events

  1. Fighting begins in South Kordofan

    International Crisis Group dates the outbreak of fighting in South Kordofan to June 2011, after tensions between Sudanese authorities and SPLM-N-linked forces escalated.

    Sources: ICG War in South Kordofan

  2. Conflict expands into Blue Nile

    Refworld and Crisis Group reporting describe Blue Nile as part of the connected post-independence conflict between Sudanese forces and SPLM-N-aligned forces.

    Sources: Refworld ICG South Kordofan

  3. Ababil-3 UAV shot down near Jaw

    Small Arms Survey documented an Ababil-3 UAV shot down in Jaw, South Kordofan, with wreckage markings linked to Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company.

    Sources: Small Arms Survey Following the Thread

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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Ababil-3 UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsAbabil-3 UAVUnmanned aerial vehicleSide: Sudanese Armed ForcesRole: Government reconnaissance UAVBuilt: Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) / IranThe Ababil-3 is an Iranian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle in the HESA Ababil family, used primarily for reconnaissance and surveillance. Open-source conflict reporting links the type or local derivatives to Syrian government-aligned operations, Iraq-aligned militia use, and Sudanese Armed Forces drone activity, while separate imagery connects the airframe to Almas missile carriage.

Conflict Sources

This conflict archive is intentionally narrow and should not be used for the separate 2023-present Sudan War 2023-present unless a source explicitly ties a weapon to both conflict scopes.

  • ICG War in South KordofanPublisher: International Crisis Group | Note: Supports the June 2011 South Kordofan outbreak, major parties, and post-independence conflict context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29
  • Refworld ICG South KordofanPublisher: Refworld | Note: Supports the South Kordofan and Blue Nile Conflict 2011-present framing through a hosted Crisis Group country report. | Accessed: 2026-06-29
  • Small Arms Survey Following the ThreadPublisher: Small Arms Survey | Note: Supports the March 2012 Ababil-3 UAV shootdown in Jaw, South Kordofan and the conflict-specific weapon evidence. | Accessed: 2026-06-29