KHARTOUM / NYALA: Sudan’s ongoing civil war witnessed a sharp escalation in aerial combat on Tuesday as paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched targeted drone strikes on a major power transformer station in Khartoum, while a separate airstrike on a market in the Darfur region left at least 21 civilians dead.
An official from the national electricity company confirmed under anonymity that RSF suicide drones struck the strategic Al-Markhiyat transformer station. The critical infrastructure damage triggered widespread blackout across extensive sectors of Khartoum and neighboring Al-Jazira states. The assault follows a coordinated RSF drone operation targeting six power stations that crippled energy grids across four eastern states.
Concurrently, in western Darfur, a devastating drone strike hit a crowded commercial market in Nyala—the de facto administrative stronghold of the RSF—killing at least 21 people and injuring over 40 others on Monday night. Medical personnel at the Nyala Hospital confirmed the death toll on Tuesday, noting that emergency wards were overwhelmed with severely injured patients.
Local residents reported that the market in northern Nyala was targeted around 8:00 PM (18:00 GMT), adding that the venue was frequently visited by armed personnel and RSF combatants. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have routinely carried out aerial bombardments against RSF strongholds in Nyala, where the paramilitary outfit has attempted to run a rival administration to the internationally recognized government based in Port Sudan and Khartoum.
Since breaking out in April 2023 between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s regular army and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo’s RSF, the civil war has claimed over 200,000 lives according to humanitarian agencies, precipitating the world’s largest displacement and severe famine crisis. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that targeting energy and civilian utility infrastructure severely jeopardizes survival services for millions of vulnerable civilians.
The recent surge in long-range drone warfare by both factions marks a dangerous shift in the conflict dynamics, with recent strikes hitting critical airports, dams, power facilities, and border stretches. Amid the escalating violence, the United States, the European Union, and 30 partner nations issued a joint diplomatic declaration urging fighting factions to immediately lift all administrative and military blockades on international aid shipments to avert catastrophic famine.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com