Drone strikes on Sudan's power stations push its grid towards collapse
Substations and the country's largest thermal plant have been hit in recent days. Power output has fallen to about a quarter of what it was before the war, AP reports.
In 30 seconds
- Drone strikes have hit Sudanese substations and the 500 MW Um Dabakir thermal station in White Nile state, AP and Al Jazeera reported.
- AP says power output has fallen from 4,400 MW before the war to about 1,100 MW.
- The Merowe Dam now supplies more than 70 per cent of Sudan's electricity, according to AP.
- Sudan's government blames the RSF paramilitary group and has accused Ethiopia and the UAE of a role. The UAE denies arming the RSF.
In Sudan's civil war, power stations have become targets. A run of drone strikes since late October has cut whole states off the grid.
What was hit
Late on Wednesday 28 October, the Um Dabakir thermal station in White Nile state was hit, the Associated Press reported. AP describes it as the country's largest thermal plant, at 500 MW. A Sudan Electric Holding Co. employee, speaking without being named, told AP that four transformers were destroyed and three generating units damaged, cutting White Nile and North Kordofan off the grid. Early on Friday 30 October, transformers at the main substation in Shendi were hit. Then on Sunday 1 November, strikes knocked out substations at Al-Dabbah in Northern state and Abu Hamad in River Nile state. A guard at Al-Dabbah was killed.
Al Jazeera reported further strikes on substations at New Halfa and Aroma in Kassala state and al-Ghazali in Northern state, and cited reports of 18 strikes in a week. We could not confirm that count.
A legal group, Emergency Lawyers, says 15 substations have been targeted since early October, AP reported.
How much power is left
According to AP, Sudan's output has fallen from 4,400 MW before the war to about 1,100 MW. The Merowe Dam, at 1,250 MW, now supplies more than 70 per cent of the country's power. Residents told AP that generators are of little help without fuel. "We have a generator, but there's no diesel in the city," one resident, Baker Seif al-Rawasi, said.
Who is blamed
Sudan's army-backed government blames the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Its Foreign Ministry says the drones were supplied by the United Arab Emirates and launched from Ethiopia, and on 1 November it complained to the UN Security Council and the African Union, accusing Ethiopia, Al Jazeera reported. The UAE denies arming the RSF. The RSF did not respond to AP's request for comment. We found no response from Ethiopia.
What it means for you
Nigeria knows what it costs when power lines and plants are attacked, from vandalised towers to blown-up gas pipelines that starve power stations. Sudan shows how quickly a grid can fail when the attacks are deliberate and repeated: water pumps, hospitals and phone networks all depend on it. For Nigeria, guarding transmission lines and gas pipelines is part of keeping the lights on.
Words to know
- RSF
- The Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group fighting Sudan's army since April 2023.
- Substation
- A site where voltage is changed so power can move from high-voltage lines to local networks.
- Thermal station
- A power plant that burns fuel, such as gas or oil, to make electricity.
Sources
- AP via News4JAX: Sudan's power grid nears collapse as drone strikes blamed on RSF target electric stations (1 Nov 2026)
- Al Jazeera: Drone attacks extend campaign targeting Sudan's power system (2 Nov 2026)
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