What We Know About Sudan's Drone Strikes on Eastern Power Stations

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a coordinated drone attack on five power stations in three states held by the Sudanese army, cutting electricity across large parts of the country's east, a Sudanese government official told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity, according to the Guardian.

Which stations and states were hit?

The drones struck two power stations each in Al-Jazira and Gedaref states and one in White Nile state, the official said, producing outages across "large parts of these three states." All three states are controlled by the Sudanese army, which has fought the RSF — its former ally — since April 2023.

Who carried out the strikes and why?

The Guardian/AFP report does not cite a stated RSF rationale for the attack. The newspaper notes that Sudan's war is now fought primarily by drones, with both sides launching strikes across the country that have killed dozens of civilians at a time. Electricity has been cut for days at a stretch after previous paramilitary drone strikes on power stations and hydroelectric dams, according to the report.

How are residents coping without power?

Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao in Gedaref, said power had been out since early morning. "My son is diabetic, his insulin has to be stored in the fridge," he said by phone, adding that he feared he would be unable to replace the medication if it spoiled. "We have no idea when the power will come back," he said.

What has the UN said about attacks on the power grid?

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that attacks on power stations threaten health services for millions of people already facing what the Guardian describes as the world's largest hunger crisis. In the first three weeks of October alone, drone strikes killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds more, according to a UN tally cited in the report.

What is the broader toll of Sudan's civil war?

Sudan, Africa's third-largest country with an estimated 50 million people, has been devastated by the conflict, which aid workers estimate has killed more than 200,000 people, per the Guardian. The majority of the country's hospitals have closed, at least 8 million children are out of school, and swathes of Sudan cannot access basic services, the report states.

Glossary: key terms in Sudan's conflict

• Rapid Support Forces (RSF): A paramilitary force that split from the Sudanese army and has fought it since April 2023; the RSF is accused in the report of carrying out the drone strikes on power stations.
• Sudanese army: The national military, which controls Al-Jazira, Gedaref and White Nile states and has battled the RSF since the war began.
• Al-Jazira, Gedaref, White Nile: Eastern Sudanese states where the power stations were struck, all currently under army control.

For related coverage of regional aviation and infrastructure strain tied to conflict in the Gulf, see HTT's report on Saudi Airline's Wartime Launch.