Kosti, May 06 (Darfur24)
At least five people were killed, and ten others injured on Tuesday in a drone strike believed to have been carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeting fuel sites in the city of Kosti, White Nile State, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.
Residents told Darfur24 that the drone struck a gas station in the Al-A’ideen neighborhood and a fuel tanker parked near another station in the Al-Zaraib area. The attack involved three missiles, with explosions heard across the city and thick plumes of smoke rising from the areas.
Eyewitnesses said the drone’s flight triggered widespread panic, as anti-aircraft fire rang out and electricity was cut in several neighborhoods.
“This is the second strike in 24 hours, and the tenth since the beginning of the year,” one resident said.
A medical source confirmed that five people were killed and ten were injured, some critically, requiring urgent surgical intervention. He added that repeated air raids on the state since the start of the year have left more than 50 people dead or wounded, including women and children.
The strike comes a day after coordinated drone attacks targeted Khartoum Airport, the Signal Corps area, and the Al-Murkhiyat camp in Omdurman, reportedly killing around 24 military personnel and injuring 13 others, in addition to destroying a house in the Nasser Extension area.
Sudanese authorities have not issued an official statement regarding the Kosti attack.
This week, the Sudanese army accused the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia of involvement in drone operations inside Sudan, claiming some drones were launched from the Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar. Ethiopian officials have denied the blame, accusing Sudan in turn of supporting destabilizing groups.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, with drones increasingly used to target both civilian and military areas.