Sudanese welder Shanan Mohamed is making furniture for a family in Omdurman, but the work is progressing unusually slowly due to frequent power outages.
Mohamed looks at half-finished doors, chairs, and tables in a home courtyard, explaining that they represent money tied up because the lack of electricity has disrupted his work.
Areas under the control of the Sudanese army are experiencing frequent power outages. The problem has worsened recently due to attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the electricity grid, as well as insufficient government funding needed to carry out repairs.
Power cuts are making life difficult for hundreds of thousands of people who have returned to Khartoum since the army regained control of the capital in 2025, while also undermining efforts to rebuild the devastated economy.
Mohamed said that when electricity returns during the night, it lasts for about five hours before going off again, and the cycle continues repeatedly. He explained that the return of electricity at night is of little benefit for his work.
Awaatif, Mohamed’s sister, told Reuters that even household chores have become nearly impossible, saying that activities such as washing clothes are disrupted and pile up. She added, “We have really suffered… We have even started buying ready-made food from the street so that we don’t have leftover food that we would have to put in the refrigerator.”
Rising gas prices are also making the purchase and operation of generators unaffordable for many people. Earlier this month, Sudan’s prime minister exempted solar panels intended for personal use from customs duties.
The conflict in Sudan has increasingly turned into a drone war, with both sides targeting major civilian infrastructure in addition to military targets. The war has destroyed livelihoods and spread famine across many parts of Sudan.
Al-Tayeb Saad El-Din, spokesperson for the Khartoum State government, said, “The electricity sector has been heavily targeted,” pointing to the looting of copper wires, fuel, transformers, and other components, as well as drone attacks, as causes of the power outages.
He added that Merowe Dam, Sudan’s main source of electricity, was among the targets that came under bombardment, noting that delayed seasonal rainfall had also affected power generation from other dams.
A source in the Rapid Support Forces, responding to a request for comment, said that claims that the forces had targeted the electricity grid were “untrue and merely media fabrications as part of the army’s propaganda.”
