At least 11 people were killed and 23 others injured after a drone strike hit a displacement camp in Sudan’s River Nile state on Friday, according to a statement from the state governor. The attack, allegedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), also destroyed the region’s power station for the fourth time.
Witnesses described scenes of devastation after multiple missiles struck the camp, setting tents ablaze as families slept. Teacher Mashair Hemeidan, visibly emotional, said, “We fled Khartoum to escape the war, but it has followed us here. Now, we have no shelter or place to go.”
Although the RSF has consistently denied conducting drone strikes and did not respond to requests for comment, the group has been accused in recent months of targeting power stations in army-controlled areas of central and northern Sudan. Previous strikes had not resulted in such a high civilian death toll.
The early morning attack devastated the makeshift camp, which housed around 179 families displaced from Khartoum. Among the dead were several children. Fadwa Adlan, a grieving mother at the camp, said, “My nine-year-old son Ahmed was killed today. My other children, Fadi and Omnia, are now in the hospital.”
The camp, located roughly 3 kilometers from the Atbara power station, had provided minimal shelter for those fleeing the fighting. Following the attack, authorities were seen clearing debris and helping survivors board buses to an undisclosed location.
This escalation comes as Sudan’s civil war, now in its second year, intensifies. Ground battles are raging in the Darfur region, where the RSF is attempting to capture the army’s remaining strongholds, forcing hundreds of thousands more from their homes. Fighting also persists in parts of western Omdurman, a district of the capital where RSF forces maintain a presence.
The latest strike has once again plunged the already fragile power grid into crisis, adding to the hardship of millions who have endured weeks-long blackouts amid the conflict.
