In brief
On Oct. 31, RSF drones hit an oil pumping station and a nearly complete transformer substation in Hayya, eastern Sudan, igniting crude oil tanks and causing a blaze at the energy facility. The strikes, reported by TASS via the Sudan Tribune, follow a pattern of drone attacks that damaged over 13 power substations across seven states, leading to widespread outages. Sudanese officials blame the RSF and accuse Ethiopia of aiding the rebels amid a civil war that began in April 2023.
On Oct. 31, drones belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked an oil pumping station and an energy infrastructure facility in the city of Hayya, in Sudan’s Red Sea State, sparking fires in crude oil tanks and at a transformer substation.
According to TASS, which reported the incident through the Sudan Tribune newspaper citing local sources, the oil pipeline that runs through Hayya transports petroleum from South Sudan to the Marsa Bashayer Export Terminal on the Red Sea coast.
TASS added that the transformer substation was in the final stages of construction and was intended to improve the power supply to Port Sudan. The strike marked a second hit on the city’s energy infrastructure in the past three days.
Widespread damage from drone attacks
Earlier, a series of RSF drone strikes destroyed more than 13 power substations in seven Sudanese states, resulting in widespread power outages across the country.
Sudanese officials blame the RSF for the attacks and accuse neighboring Ethiopia of supporting the rebels. They say the armed conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF has raged since April 2023.
According to the United Nations, tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting, and more than 14 million have been displaced.
Both sides have reportedly stepped up their use of drones to strike energy infrastructure and other strategic targets in recent weeks.
