RSF Drone Strike Severes Tendelti Power Plant, Disrupts White Nile Electricity Supply.

Today, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone strike on the Tendelti power plant in Sudan’s White Nile State, severing the main transmission line that connects the region to North Kordofan. The strike knocked out the plant’s primary output, plunging the area into a sudden loss of electricity that could affect thousands of residents and disrupt the flow of power to key commercial hubs. Initial reports from local media and RSF spokespersons confirm that the drone was launched from a base in the eastern part of the state, and that the target was selected to undermine the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) logistical network in the region.

The RSF, a paramilitary group that evolved from the Janjaweed militias used by the Sudanese government during the Darfur conflict, was reconstituted in 2013 under the leadership of Hemedti (real name Muhammad Dagalo). Since then, the RSF has operated as a semi‑autonomous force, wielding significant influence over the country’s security apparatus. In 2021, the RSF joined forces with the SAF in a coup that ousted President Omar al‑Bashir, but the partnership fractured in 2023 when the two factions began a bloody civil war over control of Sudan’s political and economic institutions. The RSF’s 2025 declaration of the Government of Peace and Unity—an alliance with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North—underscores its ambition to establish a parallel authority across the country.

The RSF’s campaign has been marred by widespread allegations of war crimes. Reports from human rights organizations document systematic abuses against non‑Arab ethnic groups in Darfur and against northern Sudanese Arab tribes in Khartoum and Gezira, whom the RSF accuses of supporting the SAF. The group has also benefited from covert financial backing, most notably from the United Arab Emirates, and has received fighters and arms from neighboring Chad, a relationship that has further complicated the regional security calculus.

Strategically, the Tendelti power plant is a linchpin of the White Nile’s energy grid. By disabling the line to North Kordofan, the RSF not only hampers civilian power supply but also hampers the SAF’s ability to use the grid for troop movement and logistical coordination. The attack illustrates the RSF’s broader use of infrastructure sabotage as a tool of war, aiming to weaken the SAF’s hold on critical resources and to signal its capacity to strike far beyond the traditional conflict zones of Darfur and the capital. For the civilian population, the outage may trigger shortages of electricity for hospitals, water treatment plants, and businesses, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis already wrought by the civil war.

The ramifications of this strike extend beyond Sudan’s borders. Sudan serves as a crucial transit corridor for oil and gas pipelines that feed into the global market, and instability in its infrastructure can ripple through supply chains that reach Asia, Europe, and North America. For Taiwan, a nation heavily reliant on imported energy and a major player in the global semiconductor supply chain, disruptions in the region’s energy stability could translate into higher freight costs and increased volatility in global commodity prices. Moreover, the intensification of the Sudanese conflict may prompt regional actors to reassess their security postures, potentially affecting diplomatic ties and trade agreements that involve Taiwan’s suppliers and partners in the Gulf and Sub‑Saharan Africa. While the immediate impact on Taiwan is indirect, the event underscores how regional instability can reverberate through interconnected economic and security networks, reminding policymakers of the importance of maintaining resilient supply chains and diversified diplomatic relations.