RSF drone strikes cut power across Khartoum, Sudan
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Sudanese authorities report drone attacks by RSF have knocked out power in Khartoum and nearby states, targeting key infrastructure amid the ongoing war.
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Smoke billows after drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the northern port in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, Sudan, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP)
Sudanese authorities announced on Thursday that drone strikes have disrupted electricity across Khartoum and neighboring states, as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue long-range attacks more than two years into the civil war engulfing the country.
The RSF has shifted tactics in recent months, moving away from ground offensives and instead launching drone attacks targeting power plants, dams, and other critical infrastructure in state-held territories.
In a statement reported by Reuters, the Sudanese Electricity Company confirmed that “drones struck Khartoum State on Wednesday evening,” adding that “teams were working to extinguish widespread fires, assess the damage, and carry out repairs.”
Earlier, RSF drone strikes on Port Sudan and other key locations have already led to prolonged nationwide power outages, worsening the humanitarian crisis in many parts of the country.
The ongoing war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, which erupted in April 2023, has devastated large parts of Sudan, displacing millions and plunging the country into a prolonged state of instability.
Dozens killed in RSF attacks
At least 33 people were killed last week in Sudan due to attacks attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been fighting the army since April 2023.
The attacks followed six consecutive days of RSF drone strikes targeting the army-led government's wartime capital, Port Sudan, which damaged critical infrastructure, including the power grid.
On Friday evening, at least 14 members of the same family were killed in an air strike that hit a displacement camp in Darfur's vast western region, according to a rescue group, which blamed the paramilitaries for the attack.
According to a group of volunteer aid workers, the Abu Shouk camp "was the target of intense bombardment by the Rapid Support Forces on Friday evening," which resulted in the death of "fourteen Sudanese, members of the same family," as well as several wounded, as stated in their report.
Disruption to aid raises fears
The Rapid Support Forces have not issued a direct statement on this week's attacks on Port Sudan, located about 650 kilometres (400 miles) from their nearest known positions on the outskirts of greater Khartoum.
The strikes have heightened concerns about potential disruptions to humanitarian aid across Sudan, where famine has already been declared in certain areas and nearly 25 million people are facing severe food insecurity.
The UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, expressed deep alarm over the continuing drone attacks targeting Port Sudan, which serves as a critical center for their relief efforts and a major gateway for delivering aid.
Nearly all aid into Sudan flows through the port city, which the United Nations has called "a lifeline for humanitarian operations," while warning of more "human suffering in what is already the world's largest humanitarian crisis."
