Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked five power stations across three eastern states on Wednesday, plunging large areas into darkness and threatening the survival of people dependent on electricity for medical care.

The drones struck two stations each in Al-Jazira and Gedaref states and one in White Nile state, all controlled by the Sudanese army. A government official confirmed the coordinated strikes "resulting in power outages across large parts of these three states."

The RSF and the Sudanese army have been at war since April 2023. Warfare in Sudan is now conducted primarily through drone strikes, with both sides launching sophisticated attacks across the country.

The power cuts pose immediate risks to civilians in a nation already experiencing the world's largest hunger crisis. Babiker Youssef, a resident of Al-Fao in Gedaref, said his son is diabetic and requires refrigerated insulin. "We have no idea when the power will come back," he said by phone. Past strikes have cut electricity for days at a time.

In the first three weeks of October alone, drone strikes killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds more, according to United Nations records. The UN has repeatedly warned that attacks on power infrastructure threaten health services for millions.

The strikes landed as eastern farmers and traders attempt to rebuild from nearly four years of conflict. Abdelhafez Daafallah, a 54-year-old farmer in Al-Junaid, said the power station in his area had been repaired just three months ago after earlier destruction. "The electricity had just started to improve three months ago, the power station the militia had destroyed was just repaired and we had hope our irrigation pumps would finally start running again," he said. "Now the station has been hit."

Ibrahim Mohammed, a grocer in Gedaref, faced an immediate loss. He said he was already enduring regular power cuts before the strike. "Now I have chicken in the fridge, we either lose our entire stock, or will be forced to sell it off at any price, which is still a loss," he said.

Sudan's war has killed an estimated 200,000 people. The majority of hospitals have closed, at least 8 million children are out of school and the country faces unprecedented inflation and a currency that lost more than 25 percent of its value in recent weeks.