Drone attacks on Sudan's power stations plunge cities into darkness, insulin patients struggle to keep medicine cold

Sudan's power stations are being targeted in waves of drone attacks, resulting in power outages across the country and plunging cities into darkness.

Kamal Mohammed, 42, who lives in the al-Taqaddum neighbourhood of Port Sudan, has spent years managing his diabetes. Prolonged power cuts have made his life 'catastrophic', he says. He relies on regular insulin injections, but unstable electricity supplies make it difficult to store the medication at the required temperature.

Kamal said: 'I need an insulin dose every day, but sometimes I have to skip it when power cuts last so long that the refrigerator loses its cooling.'

His story reflects the massive disruptions the war has wrought on civilians across Sudan. Since fighting broke out in April 2023 between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), more than 14 million civilians have been displaced, including about 4.5 million to neighbouring countries, while more than 150,000 people are believed to have been killed.

The fighting between the SAF and RSF, two former military allies, has increasingly turned into a conflict in which civilians and civilian infrastructure are targets. Drone attacks killed more than 160 people in just a few days in western Sudan in October, while hospitals, displacement camps and markets have become targets.

Attacks on energy infrastructure have also severely affected healthcare infrastructure, aid groups and other services vital for civilian life.

The RSF has intensified attacks on power stations around Khartoum state over the past month, creating an energy crisis in the capital. There has been no clear schedule for the power cuts in Khartoum caused by the damage, but blackouts can last anywhere between six hours and a day.

Between October 20 and November 2, 2026, there were at least 18 attacks on electricity infrastructure across at least nine states, leading to declining power generation capacity and fuel shortages. According to The Associated Press, repeated drone attacks have seen electricity generation fall from about 4,400 megawatts before the war to about 1,100MW today.

Political analyst Mohammed al-Husseini noted that the RSF stepped up attacks on civilian infrastructure after the SAF captured strategically important towns in the Kordofan region and other areas in recent weeks. The attacks on power stations aimed to weaken Sudan's economy and disrupt agricultural and industrial production, both heavily dependent on a reliable electricity supply, particularly as the country prepares for a new agricultural season, he said.

Al-Husseini also said the attacks sought to disrupt essential services and deepen humanitarian pressures, given electricity's role in supplying water, maintaining communications and keeping medical facilities, including dialysis centres, operational.

The United Nations has warned about the harrowing effect these attacks are having on civilians already plunged into abject poverty due to the war. Denise Brown, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, recently said: 'I don't know where those drone strikes are originating from; we need help passing the message to whoever needs to hear it, that this must stop.'

Brown added: 'There is no defence for repeatedly hitting power stations and fuel stations. People who need lifesaving dialysis can't get it. Women are giving birth with no lights in the hospital. Operations can't take place.'

With refrigeration no longer viable for storing insulin, some people are now buying ice to keep their medicine cool, but not everyone can afford this daily expense. Kamal said he can barely afford his medication as his salary is not more than 150,000 Sudanese pounds ($14.4), while buying even a small block of ice could cost 7,000 pounds ($0.67) a day.

Kamal said electricity supplies were far more stable before fighting began; during the summer, power cuts were limited and rarely lasted more than four hours. Now they are frequent. Before the war, his monthly electricity bill was no more than 3,000 pounds ($0.28); now it can reach 100,000 pounds ($9.61), although sometimes it is lower because of the prolonged cuts.

Those who can afford them have bought solar panels for a more reliable supply, but these systems cost between 4 and 6 million pounds ($385 to $577), putting them out of reach of most households in Port Sudan. Kamal said he considered a solar system to keep his insulin refrigerated, run fans for his children and charge phones at home, but it is far beyond what he can afford. Every day, he has to look for somewhere with a generator where he can charge his phone.