OMDURMAN – A wave of drone strikes attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted key electricity stations in Omdurman on Wednesday evening, plunging Sudan’s second-largest city into complete darkness and further crippling essential services in the capital region.
According to sources in the electricity sector, RSF-operated drones struck the Al-Marakhiat substation in western Omdurman and the wad Al-Bakheet station in Karari locality, within minutest of each other. the coordinated attacks caused massive power outages across the city, home to critical administrative buildings and millions of residents.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing loud explosions at the Al-Nahad station in Wad Al-Bakheet, where fires erupted following the strike. Flames were still visible hours later as emergency teams rushed to contain the blaze. In addition to the two main substations, the tenth neighborhood station in Al-Thawra area was also hit in what appears to be a boarder campaign to dismantle the capital’s electrical grid.
Engineers and civil defense teams have been deployed to extinguish fires and assess the damage. A source familiar with ongoing repair efforts said teams are working under pressure to restore power, but the scale of destruction may delay the process.
The National Electricity Corporation confirmed the attacks in a statement, indicating that both the Al-Marakhiat substation and the military college distribution station in Omdurman sustained direct hits from explosive drones. The corporation highlighted the increasing difficulties in maintaining power supply amid growing security threats, noting that these strikes have deepened the humanitarian crisis by disrupting vital services across Khartoum state.
The RSF has intensified its use of aerial drones– both surveillance and explosive– in recent months, targeting key infrastructure across multiple states including Northern, River Nile, and Gedaref. The campaign has disrupted electricity supply to several regions, severely affecting hospitals, water treatment plants, and businesses already strained by over a year of conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Notably, a previous drone strike in northern Sudan knocked out the main power station connected to the merowe Dam, contributing to prolonged blackouts in the region. Wednesday’s attacks on Omdurman mark one of the most disruptive assaults on the capital’s energy network since the outbreak of the war in April 2023.
The continued targeting of utility infrastructure underscores the RSF’s shifting military strategy, which increasingly relies on drone warfare to undermine the state’s functioning and expert pressure on SAF-controlled areas. with much of Khartoum’s infrastructure already damaged or inaccessible, residents now face worsening shortages of electricity, water, and basic services.
the latest strikes have also raised fresh concerns over the protection of civilian infrastructure, as international organizations and local authorities warn that the ongoing conflict is pushing the country further into humanitarian catastrophe.
