The RSF-aligned civil administration in South Darfur has begun relighting streets in Nyala, rolling out a solar-powered project after the city endured a total blackout since July 2023. Officials say the effort is part of preparations for the “parallel government” announced by the TASIS alliance in July, which designated Nyala as its administrative capital.
A civil administration source told Darfur24 that a private contractor was hired to illuminate key corridors first, using solar units and rehabilitating existing poles where possible. Work started Wednesday on fully lighting the Jebel Marra Road. Five additional inner streets will follow, with damaged poles repaired and brought back into service.
Phase one covers: the full Jebel Marra Road; the Legislative Council–Nyala Airport route (“Visitors’ Road”); the Legislative Council–Nyala University road up to the Old Mosque at the Grand Market; the Grand Market–Popular Market link; the Ed Daein Road to Jebel Market; and the Kongo Street in the city’s north. Phase two is slated to include Unity Street (South), Unity Street (West), Livestock Street, the internal road of al-Jeer neighborhood, the Turkish Hospital Street, the Geneina Station Street, and solar relighting of selected government institutions.
An electricity company source said restarting Nyala’s Turkish power station is difficult because it operates under a contract with the Government of Sudan and is burdened by unpaid debts dating back to 2023. Generators belonging to the national electricity authority are also offline due to a lack of spare parts, heavy fuel requirements, widespread theft and looting of dozens of transformers and copper cables, and damaged poles—problems that would cost millions of pounds to fix.
The source estimated that restoring conventional power through the Turkish plant or old government generators would require more than $12 million and is further complicated by a shortage of technical staff after many engineers left the state. Solar projects by specialized firms, he said, offer the most feasible path to relighting the city in the near term.
