The Sudanese Electricity Distribution Company in South Darfur State has initiated the gradual restoration of electricity to Nyala city after a suspension lasting over ten months due to conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April last year.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, Mohamed Al-Hafiz Al-Noor, Director of the Electricity Distribution Department in South Darfur, stated, “Following the cessation of hostilities in Nyala city, we commenced a phased maintenance plan for the power lines. With support from state officials, we completed two stages, addressing transmission line maintenance and distribution station refurbishment, including oil replenishment. However, work halted due to resource shortages and a lack of maintenance materials.”
He continued, “The Industries Union’s initiative, in collaboration with the Turkish Power Station, involved supplying fuel to one of the generating stations. This action, along with support from service committees, enabled us to restore electricity to the industrial area three days ago.”
Al-Hafiz emphasized that this marks the initial phase of restoring electricity to Nyala city after nearly a year of interruption. While citizens celebrated this development, it’s important to note that not all residential neighbourhoods have regained service.
He highlighted the urgent need to rebuild electricity distribution networks in the city’s central area, heavily damaged during the conflict. He appealed to everyone to cooperate to ensure the entire city benefits from electricity.
Abdelhalim Musa, a resident of Khartoum Belail neighbourhood, expressed his joy, saying, “This news brings hope as electricity gradually returns to South Darfur State. I hope the team works tirelessly to extend service to all neighbourhoods, easing the hardships people endured during the outages.”
Awadia Suleiman, a resident of Al-Jeer neighbourhood, shared the challenges faced during Ramadan without electricity and urged authorities to prioritize resolving the issue swiftly.