Drone Strikes on Power Stations Deepen Sudan's Blackout Crisis

Repeated drone attacks on power stations have plunged cities across Sudan into prolonged darkness, compounding the suffering of civilians already battered by more than two and a half years of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

In Port Sudan's al-Taqaddum neighbourhood, Kamal Mohammed, 42, says the outages have made managing his diabetes, in his word, "catastrophic". He needs a daily insulin injection, but unreliable electricity means he cannot keep the medication at the required temperature. "I need an insulin dose every day, but sometimes I have to skip it when power cuts last so long that the refrigerator loses its cooling," he said.

The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between two former military allies, has displaced more than 14 million people, including about 4.5 million who fled to neighbouring countries, and is believed to have killed more than 150,000. Civilians and civilian infrastructure have increasingly become targets, with drone attacks killing more than 160 people in just a few days in western Sudan in October, while hospitals, displacement camps and markets have also been hit.

The RSF has intensified strikes on power stations around Khartoum state over the past month, triggering an energy crisis in the capital where blackouts last anywhere from six hours to a full day with no clear schedule. Between October 20 and November 2, at least 18 attacks struck electricity infrastructure across at least nine states, causing declining generation capacity and fuel shortages. National electricity generation has fallen from about 4,400 megawatts before the war to roughly 1,100MW, according to The Associated Press.

Political analyst Mohammed al-Husseini said the RSF stepped up attacks on civilian infrastructure after the army captured strategically important towns in the Kordofan region and elsewhere in recent weeks. He said the strikes aimed to weaken the economy and disrupt agricultural and industrial production as the country prepares for a new agricultural season, while also disrupting water supplies, communications and medical facilities, including dialysis centres.

The United Nations has warned of the effect on civilians already pushed into abject poverty. "There is no defence for repeatedly hitting power stations and fuel stations. People who need lifesaving dialysis can't get it. Women are giving birth with no lights in the hospital. Operations can't take place," said Denise Brown, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, adding that the message that "this must stop" needs to reach whoever is behind the strikes.

With refrigeration no longer reliable, some diabetics now buy ice to keep insulin cool, an expense many cannot meet. Kamal said his salary is no more than 150,000 Sudanese pounds ($14.4), while a small block of ice costs about 7,000 pounds ($0.67) a day. His monthly electricity bill has meanwhile jumped from no more than 3,000 pounds ($0.28) before the war to as much as 100,000 pounds ($9.61). Solar systems, at 4 to 6 million pounds ($385 to $577), remain out of reach for most households.

Businesses are also struggling. Osama Omar, a 22-year-old engineering student who opened a laundry in Port Sudan's Deim Madina neighbourhood about six months ago, said outages lasting more than 24 hours over the past month have left laundry piling up and forced him to turn away orders. "Power cuts have become another war that Sudanese people are being forced to fight," he said.

Displacement camps have been hit especially hard. Sabri Adam, deputy head of the committee overseeing the al-Karama 3 camp in al-Damazin, Blue Nile state, said its 3,000 residents have no electricity beyond three large floodlights. Azhar Abdullah, a displaced woman there, said the lack of water and power has worsened the condition of her 13-year-old daughter, who has a thyroid disorder. "Her heart rate increases and she experiences severe pain when she has to wash clothes by hand or exert herself physically," she said.