Attack on power plant causes wave of cholera in Kosti
Suspected drone attack knocked out power, water pumps
A suspected drone attack on the Um Dabaker Power Station knocked out water stations in White Nile State, leading to a wave of cholera in the cities of Kosti and Rabak. The outbreak caused thousands of cases and nearly 100 confirmed deaths over the past two weeks.
The bacterial infection causes profuse diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps, leading to dehydration and shock that can become fatal within hours if patients don't receive care. The disease is treatable with oral rehydration solution in mild cases, or intravenous fluids and antibiotics in severe cases. Cholera is highly contagious and occurs in settings without clean water and proper sanitation. It is spread by drinking water or eating food contaminated with cholera bacteria.
In a press release Thursday, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) stated,
“This current wave of cholera, a waterborne disease, was triggered by a mass power outage after the Rabak power plant was hit by a projectile from the Rapid Support Forces on February 16, according to reports. This led the community to rely mostly on water procured from donkey carts [from the Nile] after water pumps went out of service.”
MSF was referring to reports of a RSF drone attack, which caused a fire at the Um Dabaker Power Station.
A spike in cholera cases occurred just days later, peaking February 20 and 24, as patients and their families rushed to Kosti Teaching Hospital. “The influx of cases, most of them severely dehydrated, overwhelmed the facility, and some patients had to be treated on the floor as the hospital and the cholera treatment center ran out of space,” the aid group stated. MSF Emergency Coordinator Marta Cazorla commented, “Attacks on critical infrastructure have long-term detrimental effects on the health of communities in vulnerable situations. Warring parties must adhere to the rules of war and ensure that civilians and critical infrastructure are protected.”
MSF’s statement echoes earlier remarks by the Sudanese Ministry of Health, which said that the main reason for the rapid spread of cholera in White Nile was the shutdown of the main water station in Kosti City as a result of the drone attack. Other officials told local media that the RSF had targeted three transformers at the station.
Sudan War Monitor cannot verify the cause of the fire but can confirm damage at the Um Dabaker Power Station. Authorities have reported drone attacks on power stations elsewhere too, most recently in Merowe, triggering widespread outages.
Earlier in the war, the RSF did not possess any long-range strike drones but it has since acquired Chinese-made FH-95 (Feihong) drones and other varieties. Last year, advanced Wing Loong II drones were identified by The New York Times at a UAE-constructed airfield in Chad, near the Sudanese border, mid last year.
To contain the cholera outbreak, MSF said that its team in White Nile supported government health workers to do case management, on-the-job training and supervision, and provided incentives to staff. Many health workers in Sudan are underpaid or unpaid, as the government has prioritized military spending rather than supporting public services and civil servants.
MSF also said it provided logistics support to address the outbreak, including 14 metric tons of medical items such as medicines and treatment kits, as well as over 25 tons of logistical items such as beds, tents, chlorine, and infection control supplies. Other aid organizations, including the UN World Health Organization and UNICEF, supported the cholera response in White Nile, launching a cholera vaccination campaign, supplying cholera treatment kits, supporting frontline health workers, and bolstering sanitation efforts.
Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, the Sudanese Electric Company reported more power outages in the country’s north, blaming both a drone strike in Merowe, and non-conflict causes, including disruptions to the Ethiopian electrical connection, and low water levels, affecting production at the Upper Atbara and Setit Dam.
News in Brief
The UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, expressed deep concern about the situation in famine-struck Zamzam Camp, where fighting recently disrupted aid efforts. She said Thursday, “Humanitarian services are at a breaking point. Water is scarce, medical and nutrition supplies are running out. The situation is deteriorating fast. Aid workers are doing all they can, but humanitarian needs far outweigh available resources.”
International Crisis Group issued a conflict advisory saying that Sudan’s neighbor, South Sudan, is “on the precipice of renewed full-blown war.” Conflict dynamics in the two countries risk become intertwined. The breakup of Sudan and South Sudan in 2011 did not result in stability, as both countries suffered internal civil wars and brief or occasional direct conflict or proxy conflict.
Sudan’s former ruling party, the National Congress, which reemerged as an influential force following a military coup in 2021, has prepared a vision document proposing continuation of the military dictatorship after the end of the war, for a “transitional period.” Under NCP rule, Sudan was led by a military leader, Omar al-Bashir, for 30 years (1989-2019), while civilian rule (albeit sharing power with the military) lasted for two years (2019-2021) before the return to military rule.
Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, the only civilian leader of Sudan since 1989, delivered a speech calling for a humanitarian truce and an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Hamdok’s anti-war coalition Taqaddum recently split as some prominent members joined a new RSF-affiliated “parallel government” launched in Nairobi in cooperation with the SPLM-North.
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