A drone strike caused a power outage in a city located in Sudan’s River Nile state on Friday. Residents heard explosions and saw smoke billow from the facility. Footage shared by activists on social media also appeared to capture a fire burning at the targeted site.
Sudanese authorities did not immediately issue a statement regarding the incident or provide an assessment of the damage. The latest strike followed similar drone attacks on Thursday that hit the Umm Dabakir thermal power station in White Nile state and the Kadugli power station in South Kordofan state.
On Wednesday, drones struck the Al-Managil power station alongside other locations in central Gezira state, leaving the city without electricity. The Sudanese Energy and Petroleum Ministry reported widespread outages a day earlier affecting multiple states, including Khartoum and River Nile, after a drone strike disabled a power station.
The ministry attributed the attacks to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. On Monday, the Sudan Electricity Holding Company similarly accused the Rapid Support Forces of targeting five electricity substations across Sennar, Gedaref and Gezira states.
Rights groups and Sudanese authorities have repeatedly accused the paramilitary organisation of deliberately striking civilian infrastructure. The Rapid Support Forces generally avoids responding to these accusations and maintains that its operations aim to protect civilians.
The armed conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023. The fighting erupted due to disagreements over plans to integrate the country’s military forces.
The war has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Around 13 million individuals have been displaced from their homes, driving a severe humanitarian and hunger crisis across the nation.
