It has been reported that Elon Musk Starlink The satellite internet service is being used by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) amid a nationwide internet outage.
Details
The RSF, which is fighting Sudan’s army, has had access to Starlink technology since August 2023, according to diplomats and a humanitarian official in the Darfur region.
Zoom out
The fighting that broke out in Sudan in April has killed more than 12,000 people, devastated the economy and forced 9 million others from their homes – the largest mass internal displacement on Earth.
The US State Department has accused members of both the military and the RSF of committing war crimes in the fight for control of the sprawling North African nation that sits on a stretch of the Red Sea key to global shipping.
Some RSF-friendly merchants in the area now charge citizens about $2 an hour to use Starlink services.
Digging deeper
Starlink’s portable routers have become an increasingly vital part of wartime infrastructure, providing communications services in battle zones where the internet is down in countries around the world.
Both sides in Sudan’s conflict blame each other for the internet shutdown, which has affected companies such as South Africa MTNof Kuwait Zain Sudan, and the state ones Sudatel Telecom Group.
What they say
The Union of Sudanese Engineers said in a statement that RSF cut internet across the country due to the loss of connectivity in the vast region of western Darfur, the stronghold of the paramilitaries.
Alfatih ErwaCEO of Zain Sudan, said his company’s engineers had been prevented from restoring connections in Darfur due to insecurity and shortages of fuel and electricity.
Source: Bloomberg
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