RSF drones disable five power stations in army-held eastern Sudan

The Rapid Support Forces launched a coordinated drone campaign against five power stations in Sudan’s east, according to a government official. The attack struck two facilities in Al-Jazira state, two in Gedaref, and one in White Nile state. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the hits caused outages across large parts of the three states. All three regions remain under the control of the Sudanese army, the rival force in a conflict that began in April 2023.

Residents reported immediate disruptions to daily life. Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao in Gedaref, said the power had been out since early morning. He explained that his son is diabetic and requires refrigeration for insulin. Youssef stated he feared the medication would spoil without backup power. “We have no idea when the power will come back,” he said.

Local businesses face financial losses due to the outage. Ibrahim Mohammed, a 37-year-old grocer in Gedaref, noted that the area had already experienced power cuts for hours before the strike. He said his store now holds chicken in a fridge without power. “We either lose our entire stock, or will be forced to sell it off at any price, which is still a loss,” Mohammed said.

The strikes also impact agricultural recovery. Abdelhafez Daafallah, a 54-year-old farmer in Al-Junaid, Al-Jazira, said electricity had just begun to improve three months prior. The state had repaired the specific power station the militia destroyed in this latest attack. Daafallah had hoped the restoration would allow irrigation pumps to run again. “We hoped we would be able to finally get back to farming, but now the station has been hit,” he said. Farmers in Al-Jazira have struggled to replant land since the army recaptured the state from the RSF last year.

The United Nations has warned that regular attacks on power stations threaten health and services for millions. Sudan is currently facing the world’s largest hunger crisis. The war is being fought primarily through drones, with both sides launching sophisticated attacks. A UN tally reports that drone strikes killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds in the first three weeks of October.

Aid workers estimate the conflict has killed more than 200,000 people in Africa’s third-largest country, which has an estimated 50 million residents. The majority of Sudan’s hospitals have closed. At least 8 million children are out of school. The country is also dealing with inflation and a currency that lost more than 25% of its value in recent weeks.