Sudan drone attacks hit five power stations and trigger wide blackouts

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces carried out a series of coordinated drone strikes targeting five electricity stations, triggering widespread blackouts across eastern regions, according to an anonymous government official.

The drone operations targeted infrastructure within territories under Sudanese military control. Two power facilities were struck in Al-Jazira state, two in Gedaref state, and an additional facility was hit in White Nile state. The official stated that the strikes caused substantial power failures throughout expansive sections of all three regions.

The Sudanese army and the RSF, previously allied forces, have been engaged in armed conflict since April 2023. The ongoing hostilities have increasingly involved drone warfare, with both combatants deploying unmanned aircraft nationwide and inflicting significant civilian casualties. United Nations monitoring indicates that drone operations killed more than 300 individuals and left hundreds more wounded during the first three weeks of October alone.

The United Nations has voiced persistent alarm regarding systematic strikes on energy infrastructure, cautioning that disruptions to the power grid jeopardize vital healthcare and public services. These interruptions exacerbate conditions for a population already confronting what the UN identifies as the most severe hunger emergency globally.

The power cuts have produced immediate difficulties for residents in affected communities. In Gedaref's town of Al-Fao, local resident Babiker Youssef said electricity had been absent since early morning, threatening refrigerated supplies of insulin required for his diabetic son. Previous strikes by the paramilitary group on generating stations and hydroelectric dams have plunged areas into darkness for multiple days.

In Al-Jazira, the damage threatens recent agricultural recovery efforts. Local farmer Abdelhafez Daafallah explained that a previously ruined power plant in Al-Junaid had been rehabilitated only three months ago, raising expectations that irrigation systems could operate again before the latest assault damaged the station once more. Farmers have faced severe hurdles trying to resume cultivation since military forces regained control of the state last year.

Local businesses are also feeling the impact. In Gedaref, shopkeeper Ibrahim Mohammed expressed concern over refrigerated meat spoiling, noting that businesses may have to sell products at steep discounts or incur total losses.

The conflict has devastated the nation of approximately 50 million people. Humanitarian organizations calculate the death toll at over 200,000. Most hospitals across Sudan have ceased operations, at least 8 million children are unable to attend school, and vast segments of the population lack essential services. The nation is concurrently enduring steep economic decline, marked by record inflation and a currency drop exceeding 25 percent in recent weeks.