UN: Communications Outages Hamper the Humanitarian Response

UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths said that communications outages in Sudan prevent people from accessing basic services and transferring money, and hamper the humanitarian response.

This is unacceptable.

I urge all concerned to immediately restore Sudan’s communications network.

Bloomberg had published news on the Rapid Support Forces RSF using the Starlink Internet service since August.

The Rapid Support Forces RSF have had access to Starlink technology since August, according to diplomats and a humanitarian official in the Darfur region, one of whom was in contact with the Rapid Support Forces RSF while using the service.

The devices have proliferated since the Internet blackout in Sudan more than a week ago, and are being imported through corridors controlled by the Rapid Support Forces  RSF through neighboring Chad and South Sudan, the people said.

Videos and photos of RSF soldiers using this technology have been widely shared on social media in recent days.