Power outages in Sudan after paramilitary bombs power plant
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck a major power station with a drone attack in the east of the country on 18th December, a military source told AFP, leaving many cities without power, according to The New Arab via AFP.
The Sudan Electricity Company said that the strikes have “led to power outages in several states.”
Accusations of targeting civilian infrastructure have been constantly levelled at the RSF following the breakout of civil war in April 2023, with the conflict displacing an estimated 14 million people.
The attacks were reportedly launched at dawn, as 35 drones targeted infrastructure in the cities of Atbara, Al-Damer and Berber in River Nile State, the anonymous military source informed the AFP.
The national electricity company confirmed that strikes on 18th December in government-controlled Atbara successfully hit the Al-Muqrin power station. Witnesses also reported signs of fires in the city.
An official at the power-plant said an earlier attack struck the plant in Atbara overnight, before a second strike killed two rescue workers and left another person injured.
In a statement, The River Nile State government verified the deaths of the two rescue workers, adding they were killed “by militias who have no respect for human life.”
The damaged power station is an integral component of the Sudanese electricity grid, distributing electricity extracted from the Merowe Dam, the country’s premier source of hydroelectricity.
Power outages have been reported in multiple states alongside The Nile and the Red Sea, according to witnesses. This includes Port Sudan, the temporary residence of the pro-military government.
As of the morning of December 18th, the fire is still ongoing at the power station according to The Sudan Electricity Company.
The RSF has not confirmed their involvement in the incident, but they have consistently used long-range drone attacks since government forces retook the capital.
The conflict has placed Sudan as the country most at risk of a worsening humanitarian crisis according to The International Rescue Committee.
Extreme weather has also exacerbated issues, with prolonged Nile flooding for the sixth consecutive year in neighbouring South Sudan leaving homes and farms submerged. Thousands have been forced to leave for growing aid encampments, in search of basic humanitarian needs.
The New Arab via AFP, Maghrebi.org
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