Sudan: RSF drone strike sparks fires, power outage in Khartoum

A drone attack launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted two power stations in Omdurman, western Khartoum, yesterday evening, causing fires and a power outage across the Sudanese capital, according to Sudan’s national electricity company.

In a statement, the company said RSF drones targeted the Markhiyat Transformer Station and a distribution station in Omdurman, causing fires and a widespread power outage across Khartoum State.

Civil defence teams were working intensively to extinguish the fires, it added. A technical assessment of the damage would follow to determine the necessary repairs.

The RSF has not issued any comment on the incident.

Authorities have repeatedly accused the RSF of carrying out drone attacks against civilian infrastructure, including power stations, in Merowe, Dongola, Al-Dabbah and Atbara in northern Sudan, and in the eastern states of Port Sudan and Kassala. The RSF has not responded to these accusations.

Since 15 April 2023, the RSF has been battling the Sudanese army for control of the country, resulting in thousands of deaths and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 people have been killed so far, and 15 million others displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

In recent weeks, RSF-controlled areas have been shrinking as the army regains ground in several states, particularly in Khartoum, where it has recaptured key locations such as the Presidential Palace.

Currently, the RSF holds only parts of North and West Kordofan, small areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, and four of the five states in the Darfur region.