Al-jabalayn: One person was killed and four others injured when a drone strike targeted an oil pumping station in the southern town of al-Jabalayn in Sudan’s White Nile state. A government official attributed the attack to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to Anadolu Agency, a worker at the station, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that the drone fired four missiles at the facility, resulting in the death of an engineer. The strike also affected the station’s power unit and water tank. Another government official in al-Jabalayn, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the RSF was responsible for the attack, which destroyed several structures within the facility.
The incident has not yet prompted any response from Sudanese authorities or the RSF. The al-Jabalayn station serves as the initial pumping point for crude oil transported from South Sudan’s Upper Nile state to Sudan’s Bashayer port on the Red Sea for export.
The ongoing conflict between the army and the RSF has repeatedly disrupted the flow of South Sudanese oil through Sudan. Prior to the conflict, South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, exported approximately 120,000 barrels of oil per day via Sudanese territory.
Sudanese authorities and rights groups have accused the RSF of utilizing drones to target civilians in various cities. However, the RSF denies these accusations, claiming their operations aim to protect civilians. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has resulted in the deaths of at least 40,000 people and displaced 12 million, as reported by the World Health Organization.