Drone strikes hit two power stations in eastern Sudan on Monday, triggering widespread electricity outages across Kassala state. Witnesses reported that unmanned aerial vehicles struck the New Halfa and Aroma electricity substations early in the day.
The incidents brought the total number of electricity stations targeted by drones across Sudan over the past week to 15. Previous attacks hit facilities in Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, Red Sea, Gedaref, Kassala, and River Nile states.
Videos shared on social media showed active fires at both the New Halfa and Aroma stations. Civil Defense teams appeared in the footage working to extinguish the blaze at the Aroma facility.
These events followed strikes on Sunday that targeted the Abu Hamad electricity substation in River Nile state and the Al-Dabbah substation in Northern state.
The Sudanese government filed formal complaints on Sunday against Ethiopia over the ongoing campaign against energy infrastructure. Khartoum accused Addis Ababa of involvement in attacks on civilian infrastructure and power stations across several Sudanese states, submitting the grievances to the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council.
Sudanese authorities and human rights groups have consistently accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of targeting civilian infrastructure. The paramilitary group generally avoids commenting on these accusations, maintaining instead that it operates to protect civilians.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in April 2023 over disagreements regarding the integration of the paramilitary group into the national armed forces.
The protracted fighting has left tens of thousands of people dead. The conflict has also displaced approximately 13 million individuals, driving a severe humanitarian emergency and a worsening hunger crisis across the country.
