Three years of blackouts in western Sudan — how satellite has restored services the war severed

Report by Abdelmoneim Madibu of Radio Dabanga for Sudan Media Forum Joint Editorial Room

Adam Osman brought his wife home after she gave birth naturally at the hospital. She was in stable condition, and he left for work. Hours later, her health suddenly deteriorated, and she died. Neighbours and relatives tried to inform him, but the phone connections were down, so they waited until evening. Osman returned, expecting to embrace his wife and child, only to find that the funeral had begun in his absence.

Adam’s story encapsulates the reality of the Sudanese public, who were cut off from communication networks months after the outbreak of war, where the communications blackout became a multiplier of the human tragedy, no less impactful than the repercussions of the war itself.

Hafiz Ahmed, one of Othman’s neighbours, recounts how the communications blackout affected the details of their daily lives, from the difficulty of coordinating within the family to emergency situations where it was impossible to inform relatives quickly, as in the case of his neighbour Adam, who was unable to say goodbye to his deceased wife. Hafiz believes that the continued communications blackout in populated areas represents an action against civilians directly and doubles the cost of the war on society.

Start of network blackout

The suffering of civilians in several states began with the disruption of communications in the early months of the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. Waleed Abdelmajeed, an employee at Zain Telecommunications, told Radio Dabanga that communication networks are currently completely down in Darfur, while the region’s telecommunications infrastructure has been affected by 40% due to the looting of copper cables, generators, spare parts, and solar panels. He explained that Zain’s network was functioning until recently in West Darfur, and that civilians from other states were traveling to El Geneina to activate and recover their accounts on banking or social media applications. He added: “The Rapid Support Forces authorities in the state decided two or three months ago to completely cut off service.” He confirmed that his company is fully prepared to restore services in West Darfur if the state authorities approve, adding, “If we receive the green light, the company is ready to restore services today, not tomorrow.”

Another employee of a telecommunications company said that the telecommunications infrastructure in Darfur and Kordofan began to be destroyed with the start of the war, and now it is rare to find a city or village that has maintained its networks, pointing to the looting of equipment and the transfer of some of it to the Central African Republic and Chad, noting that the destruction began in the early days with the theft of fuel, solar panels and batteries, and he confirmed that the telecommunications infrastructure in the Kordofan and Darfur regions needs millions of dollars to return to what it was.

According to engineer Ammar, the Kordofan and Darfur regions, as well as parts of Khartoum and central Sudan, have been without telecommunications coverage since July 2023. These areas were then under the military control of the Rapid Support Forces. He stated that in February 2024, a complete blackout occurred across Sudan, and the warring parties publicly traded accusations regarding responsibility for the disruption of telecommunications services.

In an article published in 2025, Ammar points out that amidst the exchange of accusations between the two sides, an analysis emerged – based on highly credible but unconfirmed information from official sources due to its seriousness – which concluded that the service disruption to civilians in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces was not due to technical reasons, but rather a result of military orders from the armed forces.

Information gap

The near total shutdown of telecommunications networks since the early months of the war imposed a “network blackout” on Darfur, preventing the flow of any information or reports about the humanitarian situation of the population or the battles raging in the cities of El Geneina, Nyala, and Zalingei. Under this digital isolation, civilians continued to bear the brunt of the fighting, far from the eyes of the media, while rumours and misinformation proliferated, making it impossible to document the violations committed against civilians or to deliver their pleas for help.

This situation has forced a large number of journalists in the region to leave the profession and turn to other professions that are not related to communication networks in order to secure their living needs. Journalist Mohamed Saleh El Bashar says that cutting off communications has had profound effects on the work of journalists and the lives of civilians in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, especially since the profession of journalism is based primarily on communications to collect, verify and send information to media institutions.

El Bashar recounted his personal experience following the fall of the army command in Ed Daein, the capital of East Darfur. He said that communication networks were cut off the very next day, placing him in a severe professional predicament. As a reporter, he relies on regularly sending news articles to his organisation, and the inability to communicate and send reports put him at risk of losing his income. El Bashar explained that the challenge wasn’t limited to the cost of communication; it extended to losing contact with his sources in the region’s cities and villages, as well as within displacement camps. He added, “Many of my journalistic sources lost the ability to activate communication services due to financial hardship. I was sometimes forced to transfer money to them so they could contact me and send information, which doubled my financial burden.”

El Bashar stressed that the communications crisis was and still is one of the biggest challenges facing journalists in Darfur and Kordofan, not only in terms of the difficulty of the work, but also because of the forced isolation it imposes on local communities and the restriction of the flow of information at extremely sensitive moments.

Journalist Mahdi El Azeeb, who is in Nyala, agrees with El Bashar, saying that the interruption of communication services has cast a heavy shadow on journalistic work, considering that the journalist’s capital is the flow of information moment by moment, and when he is deprived of communication, he is practically isolated from his surroundings, and thus information about the conditions of the society in which he lives is absent.

El Azeeb explained to Radio Dabanga that journalists in those areas face daily difficulties in covering events, communicating with sources, and reporting the facts. He believes the ongoing communications blackout goes beyond a mere technical issue, becoming, as he described it, an obstacle affecting multiple sectors, including media, education, health services, access for aid organisations, official transactions, services related to identification documents, and commercial activities. He noted that the public have been forced to seek alternative means of communication, however limited, emphasising that the imposed challenges have compelled residents to adapt to the new reality using whatever methods are available, while awaiting more sustainable solutions that will ensure the regular restoration of communications services.

Communications and Conflict Management

In the context of the Sudanese war, international communications and information technology expert Ammar Qasim Hamouda says that the disruption of telecommunications networks in Sudan is no longer merely a technical measure, but has become a tool of conflict management. This is due to the sector’s significant financial returns, particularly taxes, which constitute approximately 40% of total telecommunications revenue and go to the Ministry of Finance. He pointed out that controlling the flow of these resources has become part of the military calculations of both sides in the war; they may resort to cutting off service in specific areas to prevent the other side from benefiting from the revenue, even if this results in depriving areas under their control of service.

Hamouda pointed out that this pattern is not new in the context of armed conflicts, where warring parties seek to establish alternative or local networks to ensure control over revenues. He emphasised that communications have become a primary and relatively secure channel for exchanging funds amidst insecurity, which has strengthened reliance on banking applications and digital transfers, particularly in the informal economy and local markets. With service disruptions, buying and selling operations are disrupted, and daily transactions become more complex. Ammar believes that cutting off communications under normal circumstances is only permissible by court order, not by administrative decision. He considers disrupting them without legal justification a violation of public’ rights, a violation that remains even in cases of armed conflict.

Hafiz Ahmed believes that the disruption of basic services in a number of states is directly related to the ongoing battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. He questioned what role civilians play in the military conflict that would lead to them being deprived of education, health, communication, and banking services. He added: “There are armed conflicts in other countries, such as Yemen, Syria, Palestine, and Somalia, but they have not led to the public being deprived of basic services in this way.”

Regarding responsibility for cutting off communications, Hafez believes that the entity that stopped the service is the government based in Port Sudan or entities affiliated with the army.

Returning to primitive methods

Nyala community activist Tariq Makki says that the disruption of communication networks a few months after the outbreak of war plunged the state’s residents into a complex humanitarian and social crisis, explaining that the public’ suffering began with the loss of the ability to communicate with their families outside the state, at a time when their relatives in other states or outside Sudan were facing great difficulty in checking on them during the raging battles.

Makki explained that this situation has forced many Nyala residents to travel to other localities within the state in search of wireless internet access, while others have been forced to travel to neighbouring states, such as East Darfur, just to make calls or send messages to their families. He added that this impact has not been limited to social aspects, but has also affected traders and business owners who have faced significant difficulties in managing their activities in the absence of communication. Lawyer Mohamed Abdelmoneim El Reeh recounted in previous statements to Radio Dabanga that in the early days of the communication blackout, he had to travel to Ed Daein to reassure the rest of his family and receive a bank transfer to help them cope with the living conditions they were facing in Nyala. He added, “We have resorted to communicating through written messages. We write a letter to reassure our families and take it to the bus station to hand it over to the transportation office, which then delivers it to the intended recipient in another city or village.” He added, “All of this is happening while the fighting is raging in Nyala, and civilians are falling victim daily.”

Starlink start

With the emergence of the “Starlink” satellite internet service in late 2023, the situation in the region began to gradually unfold, as the arrival of this service constituted a partial restoration of the population’s right to access information and communication.

Journalist Mohamed Saleh El Bashar recounts that after three days of complete internet blackout, he learned of a Starlink satellite internet service available at a shop in the market of Ed Daein city, for SDG 3,000 (approx. USD 1) per hour—a he described as exorbitant given the economic circumstances. He noted that, as a journalist trying to gather information from sources, one hour was only sufficient for a quick overview of developments and searching for a lead to build upon in order to produce a news story and submit it on time. However, it was his chance to return to work.

Community activist Tariq Makki said that the emergence of this service helped alleviate the crisis, but it was very limited at the beginning, as it was concentrated in a few points within the city of Nyala, such as the popular market and El Geneina bus station, which led to large numbers of people crowding into long queues to get a chance to make a call, due to the limited number of available devices.

Makki explained that the subsequent increase in the number of communication devices did not completely end the suffering, due to the high costs of use and the varying prices of the service, in addition to the transportation costs that people bear to reach the communication points.

Citizen Hafiz El Sayir says that Starlink has provided them with a means of communication with their families. He mentioned that he is currently in Kampala but is able to call his children several times a day thanks to the presence of several Starlink devices in the vicinity of their home in Zalingei. He noted that the cost of the calls does not exceed SDG 1,000 per day, a cost he considers reasonable given the current situation in the country. Hafiz pointed out that Starlink has provided connectivity to all residents of Darfur, to the point that villages and areas that previously lacked network coverage now have access to the service.

Hafez mentioned that one of the disadvantages of satellite internet service is that it is not available to people at all times, especially late at night or early in the morning. In addition, it is a communication service that does not have privacy, as talking over the phone is always in front of people at the location where the “Starlink” device is located.

Journalist Mahdi El Azeeb pointed out that Starlink does not offer a comprehensive and practical solution because it is relatively expensive and difficult to use continuously while on the move, thus limiting a journalist’s ability to work effectively in the field. He added that the nature of the connection, which relies on specific points, makes internet access contingent on remaining in certain locations for extended periods, which affects work flexibility, whether in covering breaking news or completing routine daily tasks.

Activist Tariq Makki believes that continuing to rely on temporary internet networks does not represent a radical solution to the communications crisis in the region, and that it is their human right to enjoy communications services. He stressed that providing stable communication services within the states of Darfur and Kordofan has become an urgent necessity to ensure the communication of families and to alleviate the economic and social burdens on the public.

Impact on markets

Three years after the disruption of telecommunications networks in Darfur and Kordofan, trade and business have not been significantly impacted. Karam El Din Sharif, a merchant in the city of Ed Daein, says that the network outage in Darfur did not completely paralyze their commercial activity, thanks to the availability of Starlink service, which helped mitigate the damage. He stated that their trade with South Sudan and Chad, via border areas such as Khor Baranga, Adre, and Adikon, continued almost normally thanks to their reliance on satellite internet.

He adds that communication with suppliers, ordering goods and making financial arrangements remained available via the internet, which enabled them to maintain the flow of goods and avoid direct losses in daily business activities.

Financial losses

Regarding the financial losses, telecommunications expert Ammar points out the absence of official estimates from the companies or the telecommunications regulatory authority, but he estimates them to be in the billions of dollars. Before the war, the companies’ net profits were close to half a billion dollars annually, in addition to tax revenues that could exceed one billion dollars annually. This is compounded by the extensive damage inflicted on infrastructure, including stations, exchanges, cables, and generators, as well as the losses incurred by businesses that were completely or partially shut down.

Despite the significant economic impact, the telecommunications sector is believed to be among the most resilient, given its vital nature, high demand, and rapid returns. However, it is cautioned that continued conflict could force companies to undertake complex repositioning to maintain their presence in various regions, with arrangements that may shift depending on the balance of power on the ground.

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The Sudan Media Forum and its member organisations are publishing this article, prepared by Radio Dabanga, to illustrate the extent of the damage inflicted on Sudan’s telecommunications sector amidst the ongoing conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. The article specifically addresses the impact of the communications blackout on the Darfur region, which has plunged residents into a complex humanitarian and social crisis, including the inability to communicate with others outside the conflict zones, as well as the significant impact on the economy and the movement of goods and services.

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