The Sudan Tribune reported that drones operated by the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck an oil pumping station and an energy infrastructure site in Hayya, a city in eastern Sudan’s Red Sea State. The attack occurred on October 31 and ignited fires at both locations. At the pumping station, several crude oil tanks caught fire. The site is part of a pipeline that transports oil from South Sudan to the Marsa Bashayer Export Terminal on the Red Sea coast.

Separately, a drone hit a transformer substation in Hayya that was near completion, designed to improve power supply to Port Sudan. This marks the second strike on the city’s energy infrastructure in three days.

In recent days, a broader series of drone attacks has severely damaged over 13 power n Sudanese states, causing widespread blackouts. Sudanese authorities have blamed the RSF for the assaults and accused neighboring Ethiopia of supporting the rebels.

The armed conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF has been once April 2023. The UN reports tens of thousands killed and over 14 million displaced. Both sides have increasingly used drones to target energy infrastructure and other sites.