Sudan state TV crew, military reporters killed in drone attack near presidential palace

 March 21, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Four members of a Sudanese state television crew and two military reporters were killed on Friday in a drone attack claimed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) near the presidential palace in central Khartoum, officials and military sources said.

The television crew arrived at the palace compound shortly after the army announced it had retaken the area after several days of fierce fighting with the RSF.

Sudan’s Information Minister Khalid Aleisir said in a statement that national television producer and director Farouk Ahmed Mohamed Al-Zahir, cameraman Magdi Abdel Rahman, and driver Wajh Jaafar Onour had been killed “while performing their duty and covering the battle to retake the Republican Palace on Friday morning.”

Ibrahim Madawi, another director at the national television, later died from serious injuries sustained in the drone attack, Aleisir added.

Military sources told Sudan Tribune that after being driven from the palace, RSF forces launched a swarm of what appeared to be suicide drones that targeted army soldiers deployed at the site.

The sources said that in addition to the Sudan National Television crew, Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Ibrahim and Captain Imad El-Din Hassan, both attached to the military media department, and several other soldiers were among the victims.

Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the number of casualties.