Sudan's Blackouts Cripple Daily Life and Economy

In army-controlled areas of Sudan, widespread and worsening blackouts are severely impacting hundreds of thousands of residents who have returned to cities like Khartoum. These power outages disrupt daily life, making even basic tasks such as laundry impossible and forcing reliance on costly street food. The situation is a direct consequence of the ongoing conflict, with the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting the power grid, compounded by meager government funding for essential repairs. Businesses and livelihoods are suffering immensely, with essential work like furniture making being stalled due to lack of electricity. The conflict has increasingly involved drone warfare, targeting vital civilian infrastructure, including the Merowe dam, Sudan's primary power source. Looting of critical components like copper wires and fuel further exacerbates the problem, alongside delays in rainfall impacting hydroelectric power generation. While the RSF denies targeting the power grid, the government cites these attacks as primary reasons for the outages. In an effort to mitigate the crisis, the prime minister recently exempted solar panels for personal use from customs duties, offering a potential alternative for some.