The Sudanese Foreign Ministry has stated that the Rapid Support militia, during the past few days, has cut off phone communications and internet networks in wide areas of the country.
According to the statement released yesterday, this act has catastrophic effects on both the economic and humanitarian situations and will exacerbate the ongoing suffering of civilians. The communication and internet service disruption will lead to the halt of banking transfers and digital financial services, which have become lifelines for a large portion of the citizens amid the cease of many economic activities and livelihoods. Furthermore, it impedes the flow of humanitarian services, including medical treatment, aid efforts, and rescuing the stranded, and hinders communication between Sudanese citizens inside and outside the country as well as between different states.
The statement also labeled the militia’s behavior as “criminal” and provided further evidence that it is executing a complete plan, overseen by external sponsors, to destroy the country’s infrastructure and its basic foundations, employing foreign mercenaries to carry out their deeds.
The Foreign Ministry has urged the international community, international and regional organizations, humanitarian groups, and concerned governments to condemn this “barbaric crime” as stated in the statement.
Furthermore, an expert and former official in the Sudanese Telecommunications Authority informed Al Jazeera that the Rapid Support Forces have already ordered the cutting of communication and internet services for 36 million subscribers in the country through the two main telecommunications companies in Sudan, “Sudatel” and “MTN”, due to Sudanese company, Sudatel’s inability to maintain the fiber optic network cable in Darfur as a result of the ongoing war. This has caused several states in Darfur to lose communication and internet services.
The former official warned that the ramifications go beyond just communication and internet cutoffs, extending to affecting banking applications, as well as making it difficult to restart the main servers, potentially leading to Sudan being completely cut off from the rest of the world for a long period.
Employees of telecommunications companies in Sudan confirmed to Al Jazeera that communication and internet services are facing security and logistical issues, resulting in the complete shutdown of two major telecommunications companies, alongside entire states losing coverage.
Human rights organizations and Sudanese activists have expressed concerns that the continuous internet cutoff for the third day in a row could have severe implications for the humanitarian situation in the country and set the stage for new crimes.
Consider the ongoing conflict in Sudan, led by the Sudanese Army under the leadership of the head of the Sovereignty Council, Abd al-Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti), who was the deputy head of the Sovereignty Council before the outbreak of the conflict. The war has resulted in more than 13,000 deaths and over 7 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations since mid-April 2023.
