Drone attack cuts power to large parts of Sudanese capital

A drone attack on an electricity substation in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, caused widespread power outages across the Sudanese capital on Tuesday, according to eyewitnesses.

Witnesses told Anadolu that a drone struck the Al-Markhiyat power substation in northwestern Omdurman early Tuesday, cutting electricity to large parts of Khartoum.

Residents of several neighborhoods across the capital also confirmed that electricity supplies had been disrupted Tuesday morning.

Videos circulated on social media showed smoke rising from the Al-Markhiyat electricity facility.

As of 0630GMT, there was no official statement on the extent of the damage or the party responsible for the attack.

The incident came a day after Sudan's Electricity Company accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of launching drone attacks on five power substations in Sennar, southeastern Sudan, Gedaref in the east, and Al-Jazira in central Sudan.

The state-run company said the attacks caused extensive damage to the facilities, resulting in power outages across the three states as well as White Nile state in central Sudan.

Sudanese authorities and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the RSF of targeting civilian infrastructure. The paramilitary group rarely comments on such accusations but maintains that it works to protect civilians.

Since April 2023, Sudan's army and the RSF have been engaged in a conflict stemming from disagreements over the integration of the paramilitary group into the military.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 13 million and worsened famine and the humanitarian crisis across the country, according to UN and international estimates.