Drone attack cuts power in northern Sudan city amid strikes on energy infrastructure
- Explosions reported at Shendi electricity substation as facilities across several states come under attack
Loading…
Loading…
- Explosions reported at Shendi electricity substation as facilities across several states come under attack
By Adel Abdel Rahim and Lina Altawell
KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL (AA) - A drone attack on an electricity substation in the northern Sudanese city of Shendi early Friday caused a citywide blackout, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.
Witnesses reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke rising from the facility in River Nile state.
Videos circulated by activists on social media also appeared to show a fire at the site.
There was no immediate comment from Sudanese authorities on the incident or the extent of the damage.
The strike followed drone attacks Thursday on the Umm Dabakir thermal power station in White Nile state and the Kadugli power station in South Kordofan state.
On Wednesday, drones targeted the Al-Managil power station and other sites in central Gezira state, cutting electricity to the city.
A day earlier, Sudan's Energy and Petroleum Ministry reported widespread outages across several states, including Khartoum and River Nile, after a drone strike knocked a power station out of service. The ministry blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
On Monday, Sudan Electricity Holding Company accused the RSF of targeting five electricity substations in Sennar, Gedaref and Gezira states.
Sudanese authorities and rights groups have repeatedly accused the group of attacking civilian infrastructure. The RSF generally does not respond to such allegations and maintains that it works to "protect civilians."
The Sudanese army and the RSF have been fighting since April 2023 in a conflict stemming from disagreements over the integration of the country's military forces.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around 13 million, amid a worsening humanitarian and hunger crisis.