PORT SUDAN: A wave of paramilitary drone strikes hit key infrastructure and military targets in and around Sudan’s army-held capital Tuesday, bringing to an abrupt end a period of relative calm in the area.
The strikes hit a power station, a weapons factory and an oil refinery near Khartoum, witnesses at the sites said on condition of anonymity, while a military source said an air base had also been targeted.
The Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) Tasis administration later said the paramilitaries had launched “precise and successful air strikes” in Khartoum and other areas.
The Tasis administration has declared itself the government in territory held by the RSF, at war with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023.
The assault came months after the military recaptured the capital in March, and as the army-backed government pressed a major reconstruction bid.
The attacks occurred at around 5:00 am (0300 GMT), with witnesses telling AFP by phone, on condition of anonymity, that they had seen strikes hit the Al-Jaili oil refinery, the Al-Markhiyat substation in Omdurman and the Yarmuk weapons factory.
Four drones targeted the power station and sparked a fire, the witnesses said, with images posted on social media appearing to show the site in flames.
A source at the national electricity company told AFP that the damage had been minor, but witnesses reported a blackout in some parts of the capital following the attack.
The military source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said a strike on Wadi Seidna air base had been intercepted.
“Our air defense intercepted and shot down the drones that were targeting the base,” the source told AFP.
Another drone strike hit an army building in Kafuri, wounding several troops, another military source said.
- No peace in sight -
The RSF has in recent months been accused of widespread drone attacks in several army-controlled areas of Sudan, striking critical infrastructure and causing blackouts for millions.
Efforts to mediate between Sudan’s de facto leader, army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and his deputy-turned-rival, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have failed to yield a sustained ceasefire, with the military vowing to fight until victory.
The army-backed government has launched a vast reconstruction program in Khartoum, with around 600,000 people returning to their homes in recent months, according to the United Nations.
The war has devastated the capital, forcing around half of its nine million residents to flee.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.
Some 10 million people are currently displaced inside the country, with most facing dire hunger, while another four million have sought refuge beyond its borders.
In recent months, Khartoum has seen a return of relative calm, with fighting concentrated in the country’s southern Kordofan and western Darfur regions, where the warring sides have wrestled for territory.
North Darfur state capital El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still under army control, has seen some of the fiercest battles, with the RSF pressing an offensive to claim the city, which it has besieged since May 2024.
Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed in the area in recent months, where the UN said this month that the RSF has committed “myriad crimes against humanity” during its siege.
