RSF drone strikes cut power to millions in eastern Sudan

Mass power outages across eastern states

Electricity in Al-Jazira state has been out since 2 am on Monday, according to an AFP correspondent. Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao in Gedaref, reported that the power in his area has also been out since 2 am.

Babiker Youssef said he had no idea when the power would return.

Families and businesses face critical shortages

Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao, said his son is diabetic and requires insulin that must be stored in a fridge. He fears the medication will spoil if the power does not return.

Ibrahim Mohammed, a 37-year-old grocer in Gedaref, said he was already experiencing power cuts for hours before the strike. He said, "Now I have chicken in the fridge, we either lose our entire stock, or will be forced to sell it off at any price, which is still a loss".

Farmers lose hope for irrigation recovery

Abdelhafez Daafallah, a 54-year-old farmer from Al-Junaid town in Al-Jazira, said the electricity supply had improved three months ago after the local power station was repaired. He and other farmers had hoped the repairs would allow them to restart irrigation pumps and return to farming after four years of inactivity.

Farmers in Al-Jazira have struggled to rehabilitate and re-plant their land since the army recaptured the state from the RSF last year. Mr Daafallah said that the latest strike has destroyed his hope of restarting the pumps and resuming agricultural work.

UN warns of health and hunger risks

The United Nations has warned that regular attacks on power stations threaten health and essential services for millions of people already facing the world’s largest hunger crisis. Past paramilitary drone strikes on power stations and hydroelectric dams have resulted in electricity being cut for days at a time.

This disruption compounds the suffering of nearly 20 million people who are facing extreme hunger. The majority of Sudan’s hospitals have been forced to shut, while at least eight million children are out of school and swathes of the country cannot access basic services.

Escalating drone warfare kills 300 in October

Sudan’s war is currently being fought primarily via drones, with both sides launching sophisticated attacks from across the country. According to a UN tally, these strikes killed over 300 people and injured hundreds more in the first three weeks of October 2026.

Sudan is Africa’s third-largest country and is home to an estimated 50 million people. Aid workers estimate that the war in the country has killed more than 200,000 people.

Economic instability deepens as currency falls

The country is grappling with unprecedented inflation. Sudan’s currency has lost over 25 percent of its value in recent weeks.