Sudan war shatters infrastructure, costly rebuild needed

One consequence of the infrastructure breakdown can be seen in a rapid cholera outbreak that has claimed 172 deaths out of 2,729 cases over the past week alone mainly in Khartoum.
Other parts of central and western Sudan, including the Darfur region, are similarly ravaged by fighting, while the extensive damage in Khartoum, once the centre of service provision, reverberates across the country.
Sudanese authorities estimate reconstruction needs at $300bn for Khartoum and $700bn for the rest of Sudan.
The UN is doing its own estimates.
Sudan's oil production has more than halved to 24,000 barrels-per-day and its refining capabilities ceased as the main al-Jaili oil refinery sustained $3bn in damages during battles, oil and energy minister Mohieddine Naeem told Reuters.
Without refining capacity, Sudan now exports all its crude and relies on imports, he said. It also struggles to maintain pipelines needed by South Sudan for its own exports.
Earlier this month, drones targeted fuel depots and the airport at the country's main port city in an attack Sudan blamed on the UAE. The Gulf country denied the accusations.
All of Khartoum's power stations have been destroyed, Naeem said. The national electrical company recently announced a plan to increase supply from Egypt to northern Sudan and said earlier in the year that repeated drone attacks to stations outside Khartoum were stretching its ability to keep the grid going.
LOOTED COPPER
Government forces re-took Khartoum earlier this year and as people return to houses turned upside down by looters, one distinctive feature has been deep holes drilled into walls and roads to uncover valuable copper wire.
On Sudan's Nile Street, once its busiest throughway, there is a ditch about one metre deep and 4km long, stripped of wiring and with traces of burning.
Khartoum's two main water stations went out of commission early in the war as RSF soldiers looted machinery and used fuel oil to power vehicles, according to Khartoum state spokesperson Altayeb Saadeddine.
Those who have remained in Khartoum resort to drinking water from the Nile or long-forgotten wells, exposing them to waterborne illnesses. But there are few hospitals equipped to treat them.
'There has been systematic sabotage by militias against hospitals, and most medical equipment has been looted and what remains has been deliberately destroyed,' said health minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, putting losses to the health system at $11bn.
With two or three million people looking at returning to Khartoum, interventions were needed to avoid further humanitarian emergencies like the cholera outbreak, said UN Development Programme resident representative Luca Renda.
But continued war and limited budget means a full-scale reconstruction plan is not in the works.
'What we can do ... with the capacity we have on the ground, is to look at smaller-scale infrastructure rehabilitation,' he said, like solar-power water pumps, hospitals, and schools.
In that way, he said, the war may provide an opportunity for decentralising services away from Khartoum, and pursuing greener energy sources.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Citizen

42 minutes ago

• The Citizen

Ramaphosa calls for dialogue to end Israel-Iran conflict

Ramaphosa says he had hoped Trump, would use his influence to promote dialogue between the warring nations. With US President Donald Trump hinting at possible regime change in Tehran, a day after striking Iran's nuclear sites, South Africa said it has 'noted with a great deal of anxiety' the entry of the US into Israel-Iran war. The Presidency issued a statement on Sunday, just hours after Trump said the country had struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday night. Trump said the facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan were 'completely and totally obliterated' and warned of further attacks if Tehran refused to 'make peace'. 'Dialogue' President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said Ramaphosa has called for dialogue between Israel and Iran, warning that continued conflict will only lead to further devastation and economic fallout across the globe. 'It was South Africa's sincerest hope that President Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute. 'South Africa calls on the United States, Israel and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including the inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity,' Magwenya said. ALSO READ: US joins Israel-Iran conflict with overnight bombing campaign Iran response Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the US attack 'unforgivable' and said Iran has 'to respond based on our legitimate right to self-defence'. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has promised that the 'punishment will continue' against Israel, in his first statement on social media after the US joined the Israeli attacks on Iran. US confusion The White House has repeatedly denied that the conflict was seeking to topple the Iranian government. On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance maintained the US was 'not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear programme'. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters that the 'mission was not, and has not, been about regime change'. However, hours later, Trump appeared to contradict his top officials. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' Trump wrote on his Truth social media platform. Radiation Meanwhile, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at key nuclear sites in Iran following the US strikes. The UN body's head, Rafael Grossi, said the IAEA would hold an 'emergency meeting' at the organisation's headquarters in Vienna on Monday in response to the US strikes. ALSO READ: 'They never stopped' – Naledi Pandor continues to receive threats

IOL News

7 hours ago

• IOL News

US attacks on Iran put Middle East on knife edge

Protesters in support of Iran and Palestinians in Gaza hold flags and placards during a demonstration against the actions of Israel and the US in Sydney, Australia. Similar protests were held in India, South Korea, Pakistan among other countries on Sunday. Image: AFP THE US's surprise strikes on Iran at the weekend threaten to deepen the conflict in the Middle East after Israel also launched its own bombing campaign against Iran, with Tehran vowing to retaliate against US involvement. In response to the US attack, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv. Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded. Iran's Huthi allies in Yemen repeated their threat on Sunday to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships and military warships. This was after President Donald Trump claimed total success for the operation in an address to the nation just hours after the attack, and Vice President JD Vance said: "We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it's years or beyond," he told ABC. "We're not at war with Iran -- we're at war with Iran's nuclear program," he added. "The president took decisive action to destroy that program." The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at the nuclear sites and Tehran said there were no signs of contamination. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump's decision to "target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history." The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesperson saying it was "too soon" to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the site. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump "seeks peace, and Iran should take that path. "This mission was not, and has not been, about regime change." "We devastated the Iranian nuclear program," Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation "did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people." People gathered in the centre of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed. Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran's official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city's north. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US attacks as "outrageous" and said his country had a right to defend its sovereignty. "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences," he posted on social media, calling the attacks "lawless and criminal" behaviour. Araghchi later said the United States and Israel crossed "a very big red line" with the attacks, and said he would head to Moscow later Sunday for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticised the US move and urged de-escalation. The European Union called on all sides "to step back," while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Iran to "return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis". "Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat," Starmer said on X, adding that "stability in the region is a priority". French President Emmanuel Macron called a meeting of the country's defence council on Sunday, with his office saying he had spoken with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Oman. France urged "all parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict", Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X. Russia "strongly condemned" the bombings, calling them "irresponsible" and a "gross violation of international law". "A dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security," the Russian foreign ministry added. China's foreign ministry also condemned the US strikes, warning that they "escalate tensions in the Middle East". "China calls on all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible," the ministry said. President Cyril Ramaphosa called on the US, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including the inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity. The UN was set to meet over the latest attacks on Sunday. THE MERCURY

The South African

8 hours ago

• The South African

'Change history', 'declaration of war': World reacts to US attack on Iran

The United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday, joining Israel's bombing campaign after days of speculation over Washington's involvement in the conflict. 'Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,' US President Donald Trump said after the strikes. Here is a roundup of the key reactions: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US attacks as 'outrageous' and said his country had a right to defend its sovereignty. 'The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,' he posted on social media, calling the attacks 'lawless and criminal' behaviour. Araghchi later said the United States and Israel crossed 'a very big red line' with the attacks, and said he would head to Moscow later Sunday for talks with President Vladimir Putin. Israel: 'Change history' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump, saying the attacks would 'help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace'. 'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,' Netanyahu said in a video message, adding that the attacks demonstrated 'America has been truly unsurpassed'. He also told Israelis that his promise to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities had been 'fulfilled'. The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas called for de-escalation and a return to negotiations. 'I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,' Kallas wrote on X, adding that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that EU foreign ministers would discuss the situation on Monday. Russia 'strongly condemned' the bombings, calling them 'irresponsible' and a 'gross violation of international law'. 'A dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security,' the Russian foreign ministry added. Ukraine's foreign ministry said the strikes were justified to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, praising them as a 'clear signal'. 'Ukraine is convinced that Iran's nuclear programme must be stopped so that it never again poses a threat to the countries of the Middle East or any other state,' it said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strikes a 'dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge'. 'There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace,' Guterres said in a statement. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation warned that the strikes could lead to 'heightened tensions and threaten regional security, peace, and stability'. It called for 'de-escalation and self-restraint, and for resorting to dialogue and returning to negotiations and peaceful means.' UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Iran to 'return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis'. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,' Starmer said on X, adding that 'stability in the region is a priority'. French President Emmanuel Macron has called a meeting of the country's defence council for Sunday, with his office saying he had spoken with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Oman on Sunday. France is urging 'all parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict', Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X. China's foreign ministry said it 'strongly condemns' the US strikes, warning that they 'escalate tensions in the Middle East'. 'China calls on all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible,' the ministry said. Pope Leo XIV said after the strikes that 'humanity is crying out for peace' and called for an end to all wars. 'Each member of the international community has the moral responsibility to end the tragedy of war, before it becomes an irreparable chasm,' Leo said during his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican. Saudi Arabia expressed 'great concern' after the strikes on its neighbour, the 'sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran'. 'The Kingdom underscores the need to exert all possible efforts to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation,' the foreign ministry posted on X. Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim country and a longtime Washington ally, said the US attacks 'violate all norms of international law'. 'We are gravely concerned at the possible further escalation of tensions in the region,' Pakistan's foreign ministry said, adding that Iran had the 'right to defend itself under the UN Charter'. The Palestinian militant group Hamas condemned the 'blatant US aggression against the territory and sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran'. 'This brutal aggression is a dangerous escalation,' Hamas said, calling the attack 'a flagrant violation of international law, and a direct threat to international peace and security'. Yemen's Houthi rebel government, which is backed by Iran, condemned the US attacks and expressed solidarity with the Iranian people. 'The Trump administration's reckless aggression… is a blatant declaration of war against the brotherly Iranian people. We declare our full support for the brotherly Iranian people,' it said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. © Agence France-Presse