Sudan paramilitary drone strikes cause mass power cuts in eastern states

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have launched a coordinated drone attack against five power stations, causing mass power outages across the country’s east, a government official said.

The drones hit two power stations each in the states of Al-Jazira and Gedaref, and one in White Nile state, “resulting in power outages across large parts of these three states”, the official said on condition of anonymity.

All three states are controlled by the Sudanese army, which has been at war with the RSF, its former ally, since April 2023.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that regular attacks on power stations threaten health and services for millions of people who are already facing the world’s largest hunger crisis.

Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao, in Gedaref, said the power had been out there since early morning.

“My son is diabetic, his insulin has to be stored in the fridge,” he said over the phone, adding that he was scared he would not be able to replace the medication if it spoiled.

“We have no idea when the power will come back,” he said.

Electricity has been cut for days at a time after past paramilitary drone strikes on power stations and hydroelectric dams.

Sudan’s war is currently being fought primarily via drones, with both sides launching sophisticated attacks across the country, killing dozens of civilians at a time.

In the first three weeks of October, drone strikes killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds more, according to a UN tally.

Africa’s third-largest country, home to an estimated 50 million people, has been ravaged by the war, which aid workers estimate has killed more than 200,000 people.

The majority of Sudan’s hospitals have been forced to close, at least 8 million children are out of school and swathes of the country cannot access basic services.

Abdelhafez Daafallah, a 54-year-old farmer, said over the phone from Al-Jazira’s Al-Junaid town: “The electricity had just started to improve three months ago, the power station the militia had destroyed was just repaired and we had hope our irrigation pumps would finally start running again.

“We hoped we would be able to finally get back to farming, but now the station has been hit,” he said, frustrated after nearly four years unable to work his land.

Farmers in Al-Jazira have struggled to rehabilitate and replant their land since the army recaptured the state from the RSF last year.

Further east, in Gedaref, Ibrahim Mohammed, 37, a grocer, said he was “already facing power cuts for hours before the strike”.

“Now I have chicken in the fridge, we either lose our entire stock, or will be forced to sell it off at any price, which is still a loss.”

Sudan is also grappling with unprecedented inflation and a currency that lost more than 25% of its value in recent weeks.