Five Power Stations Destroyed in Sudan Drone Strike

Five power stations were destroyed in a coordinated drone attack across eastern Sudan.

A government official said the Rapid Support Forces hit the targets to disrupt the grid.

The strikes caused widespread blackouts in three states controlled by the Sudanese army.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to detail the damage.

Two power stations in Al-Jazira state took direct hits.

Two more facilities in Gedaref state were also struck by drones.

A single station in White Nile state was the final target in the operation.

The Sudanese army has fought the RSF since April 2023.

The two groups were former allies before the conflict began.

The United Nations warned that these attacks threaten health services for millions.

The country is currently facing the world's largest hunger crisis.

Babiker Youssef lives in Al-Fao in Gedaref state. He said his neighborhood lost power in the early morning hours. His son has diabetes and requires refrigerated insulin. Youssef feared the medication would spoil without electricity. He said residents do not know when service will return. Abdelhafez Daafallah is a 54-year-old farmer in Al-Junaid. He said power had started to improve over the last three months. A recently repaired station was destroyed by the militia. Daafallah hoped to restart irrigation pumps for his crops. He has been unable to work his land for nearly four years. Ibrahim Mohammed is a 37-year-old grocer in Gedaref. He said his shop faced hourly power cuts before the strike. He now has chicken in a refrigerator that is losing power. Mohammed said he must either lose the stock or sell it at a loss. The war is now fought primarily with drones. Both sides launch sophisticated attacks across the country. More than 300 people died in drone strikes in the first three weeks of October. Hundreds more were injured according to a United Nations tally. The conflict has killed more than 200,000 people, aid workers estimate. Most hospitals in Sudan have closed. At least 8 million children are out of school. Basic services are unavailable in large parts of the country. The currency lost more than 25 percent of its value in recent weeks. Inflation continues to rise across the nation.