Drone Attacks on Substations Leave Sudan Reliant on Single Power Source
Fifteen substations have been targeted since early October, forcing a nation of displaced residents to depend on the Merowe Dam for most of its electricity.
By Layla Fontaine ·
The Merowe Dam now supplies more than 70 percent of Sudan's electricity after a series of drone strikes left the country's grid dependent on a single hydroelectric source. Sudan's Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday that the drones were supplied by the United Arab Emirates and launched from Ethiopia, a claim the UAE has repeatedly denied. The Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the allegations.
Drone strikes disabled power substations in Al-Dabbah and Abu Hamad on Sunday. These attacks follow a wave of strikes that began late Wednesday. Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights organization, reported that fifteen substations have been targeted since early October. The organization attributed Sunday's strikes to the Rapid Support Forces.
In Al-Dabbah, an explosion occurred shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday. Residents reported that the substation was completely burned by the time they arrived after sunrise. The station's guard, Mohammed al-Nour, was killed in the attack. A large crowd attended his funeral, according to resident Abbas Wadaa, who described hearing a huge explosion that shook nearby houses.
The power outage in Al-Dabbah has halted business activity and forced residents to seek costly alternatives. Seif al-Rawasi, a baker in the city, stated that he owns a generator but cannot operate it because diesel is scarce. He said he would eventually have to shut down his business without access to electricity. Farmers also face a threat to the winter growing season because irrigation pumps rely on electricity that is no longer available.
The initial attack in this series struck the Um Dabakir thermal power station in White Nile state on Wednesday. The station, which has a capacity of 500 megawatts, had four transformers destroyed and three generating units damaged. An employee at the Sudan Electric Holding Company, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the damage. The regional network director said the damage will affect White Nile and North Kordofan states for months.
A subsequent strike on Friday destroyed transformers at Shendi's main substation. The attack also hit a reserve depot and an army air defense hangar, wounding one soldier. Before the war began, Sudan's production capacity was 4,400 megawatts. That figure fell to 1,100 megawatts before the latest attacks. The country's other hydroelectric dams produce no more than 100 megawatts combined, according to the Electricity Holding Company employee.
The Sudan Doctors Network warned that the outages endanger hospitals, dialysis centers, and blood banks. The group noted that cold storage for medicines and vaccines is also at risk. The war has killed at least 59,000 people and displaced 13 million residents. Many families who can afford it have installed solar panels, but a typical household system costs nearly $5,000.
