Drone strikes kill civilians and damage Sudan’s power grid
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Dabanga
France and the United Nations have raised the alarm over intensifying drone strikes in Sudan, which have killed hundreds of civilians, including children, and damaged essential infrastructure. An attack hit an electricity substation serving Khartoum State on 27 October, according to the French embassy and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Drone strikes have killed hundreds of civilians, including children, in a matter of days in Sudan and damaged essential infrastructure, according to the French embassy in Sudan and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). France condemned an “entirely unacceptable” escalation in several regions, including Darfur, Khartoum, the Nile Valley, Abyei, Kordofan and Blue Nile.
A drone struck a major electricity substation supplying Khartoum State on Tuesday 27 October, according to reports cited by OCHA. Power stations in Al Jazirah, Sennar and Gedaref states had already been hit on Monday 26 October, causing extensive damage and threatening the stability of the national electricity grid. The attacks are disrupting essential services for millions of people, according to OCHA.
France reiterated its commitment to respect for international humanitarian law and to a lasting ceasefire. OCHA recalled that civilian electricity and water facilities must be protected, while Paris said there could be no military solution to the conflict in Sudan.
The latest strikes extend a series of attacks on Sudan’s electricity infrastructure, following the strike that hit a power station and plunged Khartoum into darkness on 27 October. The strike on Khartoum’s power station had already been reported the previous day.
