Deadly shelling in Omdurman as water crisis worsens amid power outage
January 18, 2025 (OMDURMAN) – Several people were killed and injured on Saturday in artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting areas controlled by the Sudanese army in northern Omdurman, which is experiencing a severe water crisis due to a power outage.
Both sides exchanged artillery fire on Saturday morning. The army shelled RSF positions in Khartoum North from its locations in Omdurman. The RSF responded by targeting army positions near the Omdurman market in the military zone north of Omdurman.
However, the most intense RSF shelling occurred on Saturday afternoon, targeting residential neighbourhoods in the Al-Thawra and Al-Waha districts, killing at least three civilians and injuring others who were taken to Al-Nao Hospital in Omdurman.
Sudanese army spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah said two people were killed and 12 others injured in the RSF shelling that targeted civilians in the “Al-Manara, Al-Waha, and the tenth and thirty-two lanes” areas in Omdurman.
The RSF artillery shelling targeted the most populated residential areas, forcing citizens on Al-Wadi Street to take shelter in concrete buildings.
A Sudan Tribune correspondent witnessed plumes of smoke rising after shells landed in the Al-Thawra district and Al-Waha neighbourhood in Omdurman.
On Saturday morning, the city of Khartoum North, on the west bank of the Nile River, witnessed violent clashes between the army and the RSF in the Shambat district, with the use of heavy and light weapons.
Khartoum North is witnessing clashes between the two warring parties. The army, starting from its positions north of the city, is trying to reach the Signal Corps headquarters in the far south of Khartoum North, with the aim of breaking the siege on the army’s general command headquarters in central Khartoum.
Power and water outage
Meanwhile, the old Omdurman area and the Karari locality north of Omdurman are experiencing a severe water crisis due to the power outage that has been ongoing since last week.
Suicide drones of the RSF targeted the main Merowe Dam power station last week, leading to a power outage in Omdurman.
The power outage caused the main Al-Manara water station in Omdurman to go out of service. The Khartoum state government is making strenuous efforts to restart it to contain the water crisis.
The residents of Omdurman are trying to overcome the water shortage by bringing it from several sources using cars and donkey carts amid severe overcrowding around water sources.
The Khartoum state government blamed the RSF’s bombing of the Merowe power station for the power outage and water shortage.
The state said it is making intensive efforts to implement urgent solutions to address the drinking water crisis that neighbourhoods are suffering from due to the complete interruption of the electricity supply, which led to the shutdown of Nile stations and wells.
According to the state government, Khartoum Governor Ahmed Othman Hamza is leading efforts to operate the wells with electric generators.
The Governor of Khartoum inspected a number of wells in the western Al-Thawra lanes in Karari locality, where he oversaw the operation of the wells with generators. He also inspected the water supply to citizens from the Al-Manara water station’s reserves. He reviewed a report on the current situation at the station from the director of the state water authority, Mohamed Ali Al-Ajab, and the possibility of operating the station with generators as an alternative to electricity with a production capacity of 66% of its capacity.
Regarding the wells, the director of the authority explained that the current efforts have contributed to the operation of 15 wells in a number of lanes, which has contributed significantly to providing supplies, pointing to the continuation of efforts to provide generators and fuel for the rest of the wells.
The governor called for implementing future solutions by establishing a thermal station as a reserve to operate the Al-Manara water station, one of the main stations covering large parts of the state. He welcomed all initiatives that seek to contribute to this emergency situation.
In the same context, the Governor of Khartoum held an emergency meeting with the coordinators of the service management committees in Karari locality. During this meeting, he discussed the committees’ participation in solving the water problem, identifying the wells that need maintenance, electric generators, and their need for fuel.
The meeting approved the necessity of immediate action by the neighbourhood committees to work with the crisis management committee, mobilize public and organizational efforts to operate all wells with generators, provide operational needs, and consider operating the Beit Al-Mal water station in old Omdurman through wells.