Drinking water supplies and healthcare services in Kosti City in Sudan’s White Nile State have been severely disrupted following a power outage triggered by a drone attack on the Um Dabakir thermal power station on Thursday, 29 October 2026.
The disruption has affected water supplies, forcing the authorities to operate the New Kosti water station on fuel according to a restricted schedule.
In an appeal to residents, the Kosti Water Administration said the station will run on fuel from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursdays. On other days, operations will be limited to operating from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
In the health sector, Salah-Eddin Ahmed, secretary-general of the Friends of Kidney Patients Association, warned that fuel and water shortages could disrupt hemodialysis sessions at the Kosti center.
“The center requires one and a half barrels of fuel daily to operate its generators, at a daily cost of three million Sudanese pounds,” he said. “The center also needs water to carry out dialysis sessions, with the associated cost reaching one million pounds.”
Ahmed said solar power could serve as an alternative to electricity and called on the state governor and relevant authorities to provide solar panels, as had been done at other centers.
Meanwhile, Al-Jaili Al-Tayyib, a resident of Kosti, said several neighborhoods including Al-Tarafiya, Al-Shabbak and Abu Sharif lacked water distribution networks. He added that fuel shortages and rising prices had further compounded residents’ hardship.
“Our problems are many, particularly when it comes to fuel availability. We cannot find it at all, and fuel station operators refuse to supply us,” he said, urging the authorities to ensure adequate supplies.
The effects of the attack have raised fears that the disruption of essential services in the city could worsen, particularly given the reliance of water stations and healthcare facilities on electricity and fuel. Residents are calling for urgent intervention to secure water and fuel supplies and ensure the continuity of life-saving services.
and then