Two-week power blackout after drone attack sees prices in Sudan’s White Nile state soar

Residents of Rabak, in Sudan’s White Nile state, have been without electricity for 14 consecutive days, with the cost of basic services rising sharply. A block of ice now costs SDG 60,000, charging a mobile phone costs SDG 5,000, and milling a malwa (3.5 Kilogrammes) of grain has reached SDG 10,000.

The crisis follows a drone attack on the Mashkour electricity substation, which supplies the city, at the end of October. The attack disrupted several essential services and drove up the cost of obtaining water, food, and communications.

A resident, who asked not to be identified, says the power outage has brought much of daily life to a standstill. Residents are being forced to wait one or two days to obtain flour because of long queues at mills, which have switched to fuel-powered generators.

He adds that charging mobile phones has become an additional burden on households, particularly as residents rely on banking applications for their daily transactions. Some people have resorted to using homes and offices equipped with solar power systems, while others have to pay SDG 5,000 to charge a phone.

He also says water supplies to homes have resumed after pumps were operated using generators. Residents are charged SDG 3,000 per bara (water container), following an interruption in supplies during the first days of the power outage.

Meanwhile, a mother says the crisis has directly affected children’s education, with studying coming to a halt after dark. Families have also been forced to use traditional charcoal irons to press school uniforms, at a time when a small bag of charcoal costs SDG 3,000.

Residents say the prolonged power outage has turned everyday life in Rabak into an ongoing struggle, with the costs of food, water, refrigeration, and communications continuing to rise, while there is no clear indication of when electricity will be restored to the city.