Sudan paramilitary drone strikes cause mass power cuts in eastern states

Pessoas deslocadas na cidade de Gedaref. A ONU afirmou que ataques a usinas de energia ameaçam a saúde de milhões de pessoas no Sudão, que já enfrentam fome extrema.

Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenDisplaced people in Gedaref city. The UN has said attacks on power stations threaten the health of millions of people in Sudan, who are already facing extreme hunger.

Prefer the Guardian on GoogleSudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have launched a coordinated drone attack against five power stations, causing mass power outages across the country’s east, a government official said.

Os drones atingiram duas usinas de energia em cada um dos estados de Al‑Jazira e Gedaref e uma no estado White Nile, “resultando em apagões em grandes partes desses três estados”, disse o oficial sob condição de anonimato.

All three states are controlled by the Sudanese army, which has been at war with the RSF, its former ally, since April 2023.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that regular attacks on power stations threaten health and services for millions of people who are already facing the world’s largest hunger crisis.

Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao, in Gedaref, said the power had been out there since early morning.

A eletricidade tem sido cortada por dias seguidos após ataques de drones paramilitares em estações de energia e barragens hidrelétricas.

Sudan’s war is currently being fought primarily via drones, with both sides launching sophisticated attacks across the country, killing dozens of civilians at a time.

Nas primeiras três semanas de outubro, ataques com drones mataram mais de 300 pessoas e feriram mais centenas, segundo um levantamento da ONU.

Africa’s third largest country, home to an estimated 50 million people, has been ravaged by the war, which aid workers estimate has killed more than 200,000 people.

The majority of Sudan’s hospitals have been forced to close, at least 8 million children are out of school and swathes of the country cannot access basic services.

Abdelhafez Daafallah, um agricultor de 54 anos, disse por telefone da cidade de Al‑Junaid, em Al‑Jazira: “A eletricidade só começou a melhorar há três meses, a usina de energia que a milícia havia destruído acabou de ser reparada e esperávamos que nossas bombas de irrigação finalmente voltassem a funcionar.”.

Read moreFarmers in Al-Jazira have struggled to rehabilitate and replant their land since the army recaptured the state from the RSF last year.

To the east, in Gedaref, Ibrahim Mohammed, 37, a grocer, said he was “already facing power cuts for hours before the strike”. “Now I have chicken in the fridge, we either lose our entire stock, or will be forced to sell it off at any price, which is still a loss,” he said.

Sudan is also grappling with unprecedented inflation and its currency has lost more than 25% of its value in recent weeks.

Em números

• Nas primeiras três semanas de outubro, ataques com drones mataram mais de 300 pessoas e feriram mais centenas, segundo um levantamento