Plan B: Targeting infrastructure – The face of truth – ✍️ Ibrahim Shaqlawi
The war in Sudan is witnessing serious developments that reveal a strategic shift in the tactics of the Rapid Support Militia, which has resorted to the use of drones to target vital infrastructure after suffering significant losses on the ground in the face of the Sudanese army. This change, which can be described as “Plan B”, reflects the militia's attempt to circumvent military failure by intensifying attacks on civilian and service installations that constitute the backbone of daily Sudanese life, with the aim of destabilizing and exhausting the government politically and economically.
Over the past few days, the militia has launched a series of attacks targeting important power installations, including the Merowe Dam, during which the power plant and transformers were severely damaged, leading to power outages in large States like Khartoum and Port Sudan. It also targeted the Al-Shouk power conversion plant in Gedaref State, causing a complete power outage in Gedaref, Kassala and Sennar States. The Sennar Reservoir Power Conversion Station was not spared from the targeting attempts, as anti-aircraft guns on the ground were able to cope with the attack, while attacks on the Dongola Power Conversion Station led to a complete power outage in the city. The matter was not limited to this, since the power line between Merowe and Al-Markhiyat was targeted, which resulted in an interruption of supply to the Al-Manara water station, affected by the interruption of the electricity supply, which deprived hundreds of people. thousands of drinking water, thus adding further suffering to citizens.
Targeting civilian infrastructure represents a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, in particular Article 52 of Additional Protocol I of 1977 which prohibits attacks against civilian objects. This approach also constitutes a war crime within the meaning of Article 8 of the Rome Statute. However, despite the seriousness of these violations, they reflect the strategic weakness of the rapid support militia and its loss of compass, and the fact that it is on the verge of collapse, having resorted to attack tactics against civilians and infrastructure after its inability to gain ground. This tactic reveals the militia's attempt to achieve political gains by sowing confusion within the government and increasing popular pressure following the disruption of basic services, or perhaps by pressuring the government to he begins negotiations through which he wishes to return to power, even if the Sudanese people and their government have definitively closed the militia file.
But it is clear that these developments pose major security challenges for Sudan, particularly in light of escalating drone threats. Although some installations have advanced defense systems, such as the Merowe Dam, recent attacks reveal the need for enhanced defense capabilities, including advanced jamming systems and more effective ground-based anti-aircraft guns. This situation also requires regional and international cooperation to control the supply sources from which militias obtain the technologies used in these operations, in addition to strengthening border surveillance and intelligence efforts.
On the other hand, the economic and social repercussions of these attacks worsen the Sudanese crisis. Targeted infrastructure is the lifeline of agriculture, industry and services, making it a reason to deepen the economic crisis. Power outages in large cities directly affect agricultural and industrial production and double the cost of living for citizens. In light of this reality, Sudan's attempts to recover from war are becoming more difficult, especially as such attacks slow development projects and weaken investor and international confidence in the country's stability. .
Internationally, recent US sanctions against Rapid Support Militia leader Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo and his financial networks are part of efforts to undermine the militia's capabilities and dry up its sources of funding. . These sanctions, which target companies affiliated with militias in the UAE and other countries, represent an important step toward reducing their ability to finance their sabotage operations, including drone attacks. These sanctions show that the international community has begun to take seriously the threats posed by this militia to the stability of Sudan and the region.
In this context, engineer Mahjoub Issa, former general director of the Merowe Dam power plant, proposed traditional solutions to protect power plants, relying on concrete or iron columns with barbed wire, as they have successful in Saudi Arabia. He called on chambers of commerce, agricultural and industrial unions and localities to participate in its implementation in order to reduce costs and protect stations from attacks.
Ending the war in Sudan and restoring stability requires comprehensive efforts at the military and diplomatic levels. Sudan must strengthen its security and military capabilities to deal with such attacks, while continuing its efforts to isolate the militia internationally and hold it accountable for the violations it commits against the Sudanese people. Rebuilding infrastructure damaged during the war requires international and regional support to ensure Sudan's recovery and help it overcome this critical stage. This brings us to talk in a future article about the International Conference for the Reconstruction of Sudan, which must be organized by all the countries proven to be involved in the outbreak of this war.
Based on what we see in reality, the continued targeting of infrastructure by militias will only increase the suffering of the Sudanese people and disrupt peace and development efforts. The war is no longer just a military conflict, but has become a global threat to the future and stability of Sudan. Therefore, resolving this conflict according to the Sudanese army's estimates is an imperative necessity to protect the country and citizens and ensure a more secure future in Sudan. With the importance that all Sudanese unite without exclusion in order to cross a unified country until the day after the war.
May you always be well.
Tuesday January 21, 2025 AD (email protected)
