Drone strikes on power plants leave eastern Sudan in the dark

Residents in three eastern states of Sudan lost electricity this week after the Rapid Support Forces launched a coordinated drone attack on five power stations. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the strikes hit two facilities in Al-Jazira state, two in Gedaref state, and one in White Nile state. The official said the attacks caused widespread outages across large parts of these regions.

All three states are currently under the control of the Sudanese army. The army has been fighting the RSF since April 2023. The United Nations has warned that repeated attacks on energy infrastructure threaten health services for millions of people who are already part of the world's largest hunger crisis.

Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao in Gedaref, reported that power had been out since early morning. He explained that his son is diabetic and requires insulin stored in a refrigerator. Youssef said he feared the medication would spoil and that he did not know when the electricity would return.

In Al-Jazira state, Abdelhafez Daafallah, a 54-year-old farmer in Al-Junaid, said the power station in his area had only been repaired three months ago. He noted that this repair had given him hope that his irrigation pumps would finally run again. Daafallah expressed frustration that the militia destroyed the station just as he was preparing to farm after nearly four years of inability to work his land.

Ibrahim Mohammed, a 37-year-old grocer in Gedaref, said he was already dealing with power cuts for hours before the latest strike. He explained that he now has chicken in his fridge that must either be lost or sold at a low price, resulting in a financial loss either way.

The war in Sudan has increasingly shifted to drone combat. Both sides use sophisticated attacks across the country. A UN tally shows that drone strikes killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds in the first three weeks of October. Aid workers estimate the total death toll from the conflict is over 200,000.

Sudan’s economy faces continued pressure. The currency lost more than 25% of its value in recent weeks. The country, home to an estimated 50 million people, has seen the majority of its hospitals close. At least 8 million children are out of school, and many areas lack access to basic services.