Sudan's Power Grid Under Siege: Drone Attacks Escalate as Government Accuses Ethiopia of Aiding RSF

Workers were observed assessing damage at the al-Markhiyat power station, located north of Omdurman, on October 28, 2026. This assessment followed a reported drone strike attributed to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The latest in a series of concentrated attacks, drone strikes have reportedly hit three electricity substations in eastern and northern Sudan. These attacks, which occurred on Monday, resulted in widespread power outages across various parts of the country. This brings the total number of reported strikes targeting Sudan’s electricity network to 18 within the past week.

Sudan’s military government has alleged that Ethiopia is providing assistance to the RSF, the paramilitary group it has been in conflict with since April 2023, in carrying out these attacks. Local media reported that facilities in New Halfa and Aroma, situated in eastern Kassala state, were targeted early on Monday. Additionally, the al-Ghazali substation in Sudan’s Northern State was also hit.

Videos circulating on social media platforms appeared to show fires at the affected facilities, with civil defence teams actively working to extinguish the flames. Al Jazeera has not yet been able to independently verify the footage and reports.

On Sunday, Sudan’s government announced it had lodged complaints against Ethiopia with both the United Nations Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council. The government accused Addis Ababa of involvement in the ongoing campaign of attacks on civilian infrastructure and power stations.

In a separate development on Monday, the Sudanese army reported that a group of RSF members had defected and surrendered to its forces in Damazin, the capital of southeastern Blue Nile state. This announcement follows a declaration, made in exclusive video footage obtained by Al Jazeera, by senior RSF commander Siddiq Ander that he had defected.

In a statement, the army indicated that this development signifies the latest in a series of increasing defections from the paramilitary group in Blue Nile state. The statement also noted that the commander had provided information regarding the management of military operations in Damazin, including details about “Ethiopian support” for the RSF.