Widespread blackouts cripple daily life and reconstruction in Sudan

Sudan's army-held regions are enduring prolonged electricity blackouts that disrupt both everyday life and reconstruction projects. In Omdurman, Shannan Mohammed has been forced to pause his furniture-making business as power is supplied for only a few hours, often at night, while his sister Awatef struggles to complete laundry and keep food refrigerated. Officials attribute the outages to a mix of Rapid Support Forces targeting of the grid, insufficient state funding, and looting of copper and fuel supplies.

Drone attacks have also struck the Merowe dam, the country's main power source, and delayed rains have reduced output from other dams. With gas prices soaring, many cannot afford generators, prompting the prime minister to waive customs duties on personal solar panels. An RSF spokesperson rejected claims that the militia targeted the electricity infrastructure.