Khartoum – Government sources and witnesses said on Thursday that drones, believed to be operated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), carried out strikes targeting a major power substation in the city of Atbara, River Nile State, as fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF intensifies across several regions.
The attack killed two members of the civil defense and caused damage to key power transformers, resulting in electricity outages across parts of the River Nile and Red Sea states, as well as in other areas of northern and eastern Sudan, according to local authorities.
Witnesses said the drones also hit residential neighborhoods and Atbara’s airport, causing explosions as ground-based air defenses attempted to intercept the attacks. The RSF did not immediately comment on the allegations. Security sources suggested the drones may have been launched from areas under RSF control in North Kordofan State.
Widening Drone Strikes and Growing Displacement
In a separate incident on Wednesday, local sources in South Kordofan reported that drones believed to belong to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and its ally, the RSF struck a convoy of displaced civilians traveling from Kadugli toward safer areas, killing eight women.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around 460 people fled Kadugli on December 15 and 16 amid deteriorating security conditions and mounting threats to civilians. The displaced have reportedly moved to locations in North Kordofan, White Nile, and Khartoum states, where many now face dire humanitarian conditions and a shortage of basic aid.
The Darfur and Kordofan regions have seen a sharp escalation in air and artillery attacks in recent months, including strikes far from active frontlines that, according to residents and humanitarian organizations, have caused rising numbers of civilian casualties and internal displacement.
UN Warns Against Worsening Drone Warfare
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed deep concern about the increasing use of drones and their impact on civilians in conflict areas. In a statement on Tuesday, he said at least 104 civilians have been killed since December 4 in drone strikes across different parts of Kordofan.
Türk noted that one of the strikes hit a kindergarten and a hospital in the town of Kalogi, killing around 89 people, including women and children. He also condemned the killing of six UN peacekeepers in a drone strike on a UN base in Kadugli on December 13, calling the attack “an act that could amount to a war crime.”
The UN official urged all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, respect international humanitarian law, and ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel.
Wider Context of the Conflict
Sudan has been embroiled in fighting since April 2023, when a power struggle erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), following the collapse of a proposed plan to integrate the paramilitary group into the national army.
The conflict, which has spread into new regions in recent months, has triggered a worsening humanitarian crisis marked by acute shortages of food, medicine, and essential services. According to United Nations estimates, more than 10 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan since the war began.
