‘Good Enough’ Drones Have Become Geopolitical Chips

In Sudan and elsewhere, regional powers have used the weapons for leverage.

A man watches as smoke billows after a drone strike on Port Sudan, Sudan, on May 6. November 17, 2025, 12:01 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

In Sudan, which has been engulfed in a ruinous civil war since 2023, drones have been devastating instruments of destruction. The conflict has killed as many as 400,000 people and displaced more than 12 million from their homes. Deployed indiscriminately against both civilian and military targets, the unconstrained use of drones by both sides has contributed to the war’s growing death toll and also inflicted heavy damage against vital infrastructure such as hospitals, airports, military bases, and ports.

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