Drone strikes hit up to 15 power stations across Sudan in October, UNICEF said, deepening a crisis for the Sudan power grid and for the civilians who depend on it.
Residents of Rabak, in White Nile state, say they have been without electricity for two weeks after one of the attacks, according to Dabanga. We could not confirm that account independently.
How badly has the Sudan power grid been damaged?
“In the last week of October, not a single day passed without a drone strike on a power station in Sudan. Up to 15 were hit in the month of October,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva on 10 November, UN News reported. He said drones can travel up to 1,500km, and that when stations are hit, water pumps and treatment plants stop.
The Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers counted 15 substations targeted since early October, the Associated Press reported on 1 November. The Um Dabakir thermal station in White Nile state, which AP described as the country’s largest at 500MW, lost four transformers and had three generating units damaged, its director said. A regional network director said White Nile and North Kordofan were cut off from the grid and that the damage “will be felt for months”.
The Sudan power grid now leans heavily on the Merowe Dam, which an Electricity Holding Company employee told AP supplies more than 70 per cent of electricity. The employee, who was not named, said output had fallen from 4,400MW before the war to 1,100MW.
What is happening in Rabak as the Sudan power grid falters?
Dabanga, in a report dated 10 November, quoted residents who said the city had been dark for 14 consecutive days after a drone strike at the end of October on the Mashkour substation. They quoted prices of 60,000 Sudanese pounds for a block of ice, 5,000 for charging a phone and 10,000 for milling 3.5kg of grain, with water pumps running on generators. No date for restoring power had been announced.
AP reported the strike on Um Dabakir in the same state, while Dabanga names Mashkour. We could not establish how the two relate. The Dabanga report relies on anonymous residents, and we found no official statement on the outage.
There is a precedent. In 2025 an attack on the Um Dabaker plant knocked out water stations in Kosti, and a cholera outbreak followed, with nearly 100 confirmed deaths in two weeks, according to Sudan War Monitor, which cited Doctors Without Borders and the health ministry.
Who is behind the strikes on the Sudan power grid?
Emergency Lawyers blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia for the 1 November strikes, AP reported. The militia did not immediately respond to the agency’s request for comment. Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said the drones were supplied by the United Arab Emirates and launched from Ethiopia; the UAE has repeatedly denied arming the RSF, AP said. We did not find a response from Ethiopia’s government.
UNICEF said it could not establish who was behind at least 15 strikes on power stations in October. Mr Elder said it was hard to see why the army or government would carry them out, UN News reported.
What does damage to the Sudan power grid mean for civilians?
UNICEF said two in three child casualties in Sudan this year were killed by armed drones, and that 825,000 children under five are expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition. Its response is one-third funded. The Sudan Doctors Network warned of risks to hospitals, dialysis units and blood banks, AP reported. The war has killed at least 59,000 people and displaced about 13 million, the agency said. DNE Africa has reported on earlier strikes, including in Khartoum.
FAQ
How many power stations have been hit in Sudan?
UNICEF said up to 15 were hit in October. Emergency Lawyers counted 15 substations targeted since early October, according to AP.
Who is blamed for the strikes on the Sudan power grid?
Emergency Lawyers blamed the RSF militia for strikes on 1 November, which the militia did not address. UNICEF said it could not establish who carried out the October strikes.
How long has Rabak been without electricity?
Residents told Dabanga it had been 14 days as of 10 November. The report is unconfirmed by a second source, and no restoration date has been announced.
Which dam supplies most of the Sudan power grid?
The Merowe Dam supplies more than 70 per cent of electricity, an Electricity Holding Company employee told AP.
