RSF Drones Hit Five Power Stations, Cutting Power in Three Sudanese States
The coordinated strikes on grid infrastructure in Al-Jazira, Gedaref, and White Nile leave residents without electricity for critical medical and agricultural needs.
By Marco Whitaker ·
The Rapid Support Forces launched a coordinated drone attack on five power stations across eastern Sudan, according to a government official. The strikes targeted two stations in Al-Jazira and two in Gedaref, with a fifth hit in White Nile state. The official stated that the damage resulted in widespread outages across all three army-controlled states.
The attacks mark a continuation of a strategy that has disrupted power supplies for days at a time. The war between the Sudanese army and its former ally, the RSF, has shifted to drone warfare, with both sides executing sophisticated strikes that kill dozens of civilians. A United Nations tally shows that more than 300 people died and hundreds were injured in drone strikes during the first three weeks of October.
Residents in the affected areas report immediate hardship due to the loss of electricity. Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao in Gedaref, said the power went out early in the morning. His son is diabetic, and his insulin requires refrigeration. Youssef expressed fear that the medication would spoil and be difficult to replace. "We have no idea when the power will come back," he said.
In Al-Jazira, Abdelhafez Daafallah, a 54-year-old farmer from Al-Junaid town, described the setback to his livelihood. He noted that electricity had only begun to improve three months prior after a previous station was repaired. "We hoped we would be able to finally get back to farming, but now the station has been hit," Daafallah said. He has been unable to work his land for nearly four years.
In Gedaref, Ibrahim Mohammed, a 37-year-old grocer, said he was already facing power cuts for hours before the strike. He now holds chicken stock in his refrigerator that risks spoiling. "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 United Nations has warned that regular attacks on power infrastructure threaten health services for millions facing the world's largest hunger crisis. The war has forced the majority of Sudan's hospitals to close. At least 8 million children are out of school, and the country is grappling with inflation and a currency that lost more than 25% of its value in recent weeks.
