Sudan.. UN concern over drone attacks on power stations

The office explained that a drone targeted a major power substation serving Khartoum State in the center of the country on Tuesday, a day after similar attacks affected power stations in the states of Al-Jazirah in central Sudan, Sennar in the southeast, and Al-Qadarif in the east.

It pointed out that local authorities reported extensive damage as a result of the attacks, warning that they threaten the stability of the country's power grids.

The UN office stressed the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including electricity and water facilities, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

In a related context, OCHA confirmed that the United Nations and its partners continue to provide humanitarian aid despite the ongoing hostilities.

It noted that the Sudanese Ministry of Health launched a national polio vaccination campaign on Monday, aiming to protect 11 million children, with support from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and other partners.

The office called for urgent additional funding to ensure the continuation of life-saving aid, in light of the worsening suffering of millions of Sudanese due to war, displacement, and drought conditions associated with the "El Niño" phenomenon.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Sudanese Ministry of Energy and Petroleum announced power outages in large parts of several states, including Khartoum and River Nile in the north of the country, due to a power station going out of service following a drone attack it attributed to the "Rapid Support Forces" (RSF).

The ministry said in a statement that the "Al-Markhiyat" station in Omdurman, Khartoum State, was subjected to a drone attack by the "Rapid Support Forces" on Tuesday morning, which caused severe damage and led to it going out of service.

Eyewitnesses also reported to Anadolu Agency that a drone attacked the "Al-Markhiyat" station at dawn on Tuesday, causing power outages in large areas of Khartoum State.

Witnesses from several neighborhoods in the capital confirmed that the power supply had been cut off in their areas since the morning hours.

The attack comes a day after the Sudan Electricity Company announced that the "Rapid Support Forces" had targeted 5 power substations with drones in the states of Sennar, Al-Qadarif, and Al-Jazirah.

Sudanese authorities and human rights organizations accuse the "Rapid Support Forces" of targeting civilian facilities, while the latter usually does not comment on these accusations and claims it is working to "protect civilians."

Since April 2023, the Sudanese Army and the "Rapid Support Forces" have been engaged in a war that erupted due to disagreements over the unification of the military institution, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of about 13 million people, amid a worsening famine and humanitarian crisis in the country.