Rapid Support Forces launched wide-scale drone strikes on military sites and civilian infrastructure in Khartoum and several other Sudanese cities, marking a major escalation in the conflict.
Khartoum- Al-Yurae-
In the early hours of Tuesday, waves of explosive and reconnaissance drones struck key areas in the capital, triggering a series of powerful blasts and widespread power outages. Witnesses reported sounds of clashes and artillery fire around the city, with drones continuing to fly overhead since dawn.
Residents in Karrari, north of Omdurman, said they heard repeated explosions near the Wadi Sayyidna military base, as plumes of smoke rose from the Al-Merikhiyat power station to the west and another station in Bahri, north of Khartoum. Heavy drone activity was also reported in the Kalakla district in the south of the capital, followed by violent blasts that shook residential neighborhoods.
Sources confirmed that the Rapid Support Forces carried out a wave of suicide-drone strikes targeting the Yarmouk military complex in southern Khartoum, the Al-Merikhiyat power station in western Omdurman, and sites near the Al-Jaili oil refinery in northern Bahri. The attacks caused damage to electricity facilities in Bahri and Omdurman, raising fears of a collapse of essential services.
The strike on Al-Merikhiyat station destroyed several main transformers, cutting power across much of Omdurman and some parts of River Nile state in northern Sudan. Residents in northern Bahri reported at least four heavy explosions and fires, followed by immediate blackouts. Air defenses attempted to intercept the drones, but some succeeded in hitting major targets.
The Al-Jaili refinery, one of Sudan’s largest and most vital oil facilities, was attacked by at least eight drones. Its management evacuated staff as a precaution, with no casualties reported so far. Technical teams are still assessing material damage amid concerns over fuel supplies and nationwide energy disruptions.
In southern Khartoum, drones hit storage depots in Kalakla, detonating with multiple blasts that rocked the area. Meanwhile, in the Red Sea state, residents near Ariab said drones had been sighted circling the mineral-rich region repeatedly over the past four days, though their origins and targets remain unclear.
Military sources confirmed that Wadi Sayyidna air base also came under attack but that some drones were intercepted before reaching their objectives. Another strike hit an army building in Bahri, causing casualties among soldiers.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, the RSF-led Tasis Alliance claimed responsibility, saying the attacks were retaliation for alleged strikes on hospitals and civilian facilities in Darfur and Kordofan, including Nyala. The group said its operations targeted only military and logistical sites, not civilians.
The escalation comes as the army maintains control of Khartoum since May, following brutal urban battles that forced RSF fighters to withdraw. Since then, the RSF has intensified raids on Port Sudan, the government’s temporary seat, as well as on military and infrastructure targets across Khartoum and Darfur.
Analysts warn that strikes against vital infrastructure such as refineries and power stations could cripple essential services and deepen the economic collapse, with no sign of cease-fire negotiations on the horizon.
