RSF Drone Attacks Hit Five Electricity Facilities in Sudan

By Al Mayadeen English

Sudan drone attacks target five electricity facilities, disrupting power supplies across eastern and central Sudan and raising concerns over essential services.

Coordinated drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted five major electricity facilities on Monday, cutting power across large areas of eastern and central Sudan and raising concerns over disruptions to essential services.

A Sudanese government official told AFP that the attacks struck two stations in Al Jazirah State, two in Gedaref State, and one in White Nile State. All five facilities are located in areas under the control of the Sudanese army.

An AFP correspondent in Al Jazirah reported that electricity had been cut since 2 am, while residents of Al Faw in Gedaref said the outage was continuing and that they had no clear indication of when power would be restored.

Damage to electricity infrastructure

Sudan Tribune reported that the drones struck the Al Junayd substation in eastern Al Jazirah, knocking it out of service. The attacks also hit the Al Faw and Al Hawata stations in Gedaref, damaging electrical equipment and interrupting electricity supplies across extensive areas.

In Sennar State, local authorities reported an attack on the Sennar substation that caused material damage and injured several security guards, who were transported for medical treatment.

Local sources also reported that the Mishkour power station in White Nile State had been targeted, resulting in a power outage in the surrounding area.

Concerns rise over civilian services and agriculture

The attacks have raised concerns about worsening humanitarian conditions, as hospitals, healthcare facilities, water networks, and agricultural activities depend on reliable electricity supplies.

Residents of affected areas told AFP they feared that prolonged outages would spoil medicines and food. In the Junayd area of Al Jazirah, a farmer said the targeted power station had resumed operations after repairs several months earlier, restoring hopes of restarting irrigation pumps and reviving agricultural activity.

The latest attacks came less than a week after the Tandalti power station in White Nile State was targeted, triggering a fire and cutting electricity to the city and areas of North Kordofan.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned about the consequences of attacks on civilian infrastructure, particularly electricity and water facilities and healthcare services, stressing that civilians and essential services must be protected under international humanitarian law.

Army regains two strategic areas in Blue Nile State

The latest attacks on Sudan’s power infrastructure come as fighting continues elsewhere in the country, with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) also reporting territorial gains in the southeast. The army said its forces had regained control of two strategic areas in Blue Nile state and intercepted a drone that it said entered Sudan from neighboring Ethiopia.

The SAF’s 4th Infantry Division said in a statement reported by Anadolu Agency on October 23 that its forces recaptured Bakouri and Akleili during operations that inflicted heavy personnel and equipment losses on opposing forces. The division said its troops were continuing to pursue rival forces, secure the two areas, and consolidate their control.

Akleili holds strategic importance because it is situated along the road connecting Kurmuk with Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state. Control of the area provides influence over military movements across the Kurmuk, Geissan and Bakouri fronts.

Bakouri is located in Geissan locality, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of Damazin, and contains a military base belonging to the army’s 13th Infantry Brigade, which operates under the 4th Infantry Division. The army also said it shot down a drone that it identified as having entered Sudan from Ethiopia amid the fighting with the RSF and its allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).