A drone attack on the Mashkour electricity substation in late October has left residents of Rabak, in Sudan's White Nile state, without electricity for 14 consecutive days. The attack disrupted essential services, causing a significant increase in the cost of basic necessities. The power outage has severely impacted daily life, with residents struggling to access essential services. The city's residents are facing a severe crisis, with no clear indication of when electricity will be restored.
The cost of basic services in Rabak has risen sharply due to the power outage. A block of ice now costs SDG 60,000, while charging a mobile phone costs SDG 5,000. Milling a malwa, or 3.5 kilograms, of grain has reached SDG 10,000. The increased costs are putting a strain on households, particularly as residents rely on banking applications for their daily transactions. The lack of electricity has forced residents to find alternative and expensive ways to access basic services.
The power outage has brought much of daily life in Rabak to a standstill. Residents are being forced to wait one or two days to obtain flour due to long queues at mills, which have switched to fuel-powered generators. The outage has also made charging mobile phones an additional burden on households. Some residents have resorted to using homes and offices equipped with solar power systems, while others have to pay SDG 5,000 to charge a phone.
The crisis has also affected water supplies in Rabak. Although water supplies to homes have resumed after pumps were operated using generators, residents are charged SDG 3,000 per bara, or water container. The increased cost of water is adding to the financial burden on households. The power outage has highlighted the vulnerability of essential services to attacks and the need for alternative power sources.
The power outage has had a direct impact on children's education in Rabak. A mother says that studying has come to a halt after dark, as the lack of electricity has made it difficult for children to continue their education. 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 of Rabak are calling for a swift resolution to the power outage. The prolonged outage has turned everyday life into an ongoing struggle, with the costs of food, water, refrigeration, and communications continuing to rise. The city's residents are eager for the electricity to be restored and for life to return to normal.
The situation in Rabak highlights the impact of attacks on infrastructure on civilians. The drone attack on the Mashkour electricity substation has had a devastating impact on the city's residents, who are struggling to access basic services. The incident underscores the need for protection of critical infrastructure and for measures to mitigate the impact of such attacks on civilians.
Key points
- The power outage has caused a significant increase in the cost of basic services in Rabak.
- The crisis has directly affected children's education, with studying coming to a halt after dark.
- Residents are facing a severe crisis, with no clear indication of when electricity will be restored to the city.
