Sudan Power Grid Under Severe Strain as Drone Attacks Disable Substations
CAIRO | November 2, 2026 — Drone strikes on electricity substations in Sudan have left communities without power and threatened essential health services, as the country’s long-running civil war continues to damage civilian infrastructure.
Two northern towns lose power
Attacks on Sunday struck substations serving Al-Dabbah and Abu Hamad, according to Associated Press reporting. Sudanese authorities and the rights group Emergency Lawyers blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for the attacks; that attribution is a claim by those groups, not a finding independently established by this newsroom.
Emergency Lawyers said 15 substations have been targeted since early October. The Sudan Doctors Network warned that outages threaten hospitals, dialysis treatment, blood banks and refrigerated supplies of medicines and vaccines.
Daily life and food supply at risk
Power failures have interrupted bakeries, businesses and water supplies. Diesel shortages make generators difficult to run, while farmers need electricity to operate irrigation pumps. AP reported that Sudan’s Merowe Dam has become the country’s last major power source, now providing more than 70% of electricity.
What it means
Damage to power plants and substations extends the humanitarian crisis beyond the sites of direct fighting. Reliable electricity underpins medical care, clean water, food production and communications. There is no confirmed nationwide date for full grid restoration.
Editor’s note: Featured image is an AI-generated editorial illustration and does not document an identifiable attack site.
