Rhino: Agencies – The army’s disruption of the Starlink satellite internet service in the North Darfur capital of El Fasher has compounded the suffering of citizens who rely on remittances from their families.

On February 10, the army’s intelligence stopped the operation of Starlink devices, known locally as “Wi-Fi,” which means that a full month has passed since the service was suspended.

A number of citizens complained to “Darfur24” on Monday about the suspension of Starlink devices, as it is the only way to communicate with their relatives, especially in active conflict areas.

They pointed out that the disruption of internet service led to the suspension of financial transactions through banking applications, on which a large segment of the population relies.

Ismail Issa Mohamadain told “Darfur24” that the majority of citizens in El Fasher rely on financial transfers from their relatives, after the war and the siege imposed on the city since April 2024 disrupted livelihoods and commercial movement.

Mohamedain noted that the suspension of the use of Starlink devices by the army intelligence without clear reasons has compounded the suffering of families.

Adam Yahya Ibrahim, a trader in Naivasha market, told “Darfur24” that the suspension of Starlink devices has caused additional suffering for the citizens of El Fasher, especially in light of the lack of cash in the markets.

Ibrahim held the North Darfur state government responsible for the deterioration of services, especially the Starlink devices, whose suspension has caused economic damage.

The outage of telecommunications companies as a result of the nearly two-year war has forced Sudanese to use Starlink to communicate between families inside and outside the country.

Starlink devices have proliferated in many areas where communication networks are not available, especially in the Darfur region.