Local security conflict

Sudanese authorities said on Thursday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have destroyed 1,877 factories in Khartoum since the outbreak of war in April 2023.

In a press conference in Port Sudan, eastern Sudan, Sudanese Minister of Industry and Trade, Mahasin Ali Yacoub, said: “The rebel militia (Rapid Support Forces) destroyed 1,877 factories in Khartoum state, including 553 that were completely destroyed and 1,267 that were partially damaged.”

She added that the destruction mainly targeted factory infrastructure, especially energy equipment and machinery, with the aim of preventing these factories from resuming work easily.

Mahasin said the ministry recently completed a damage survey after Khartoum was liberated and reached these results. She added: “The brutal attacks hit the industrial sector in a systematic way, causing the complete halt of industry in Khartoum, Al-Jazeera, and Sennar states.”

She continued: “The attacks paralyzed industrial activity, forcing the country to import even basic goods, which added a heavy burden on the state.”

The minister stressed Sudan’s determination to fully restore production capacity and rebuild what the war destroyed.

She explained that the ministry began an emergency plan at the start of the war, which had positive results and helped ease the crisis, relying on safe states to urgently rescue what could be saved by operating flour and oil factories.