Power outages hit Sudan areas after drone attack on Merowe Dam

April 6, 2025 (MEROWE) – A drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Merowe Dam caused power outages across several areas, including Omdurman and the Northern State, the national electricity company confirmed on Saturday.

The incident is the latest in a series of drone attacks attributed to the RSF targeting power infrastructure across central, eastern, and northern Sudan. The Merowe Dam, the country’s largest hydroelectric facility, has been a frequent target, suffering significant damage despite ongoing repair efforts.

The Sudanese Electricity Company confirmed, in a statement Saturday, that RSF drones hit the Merowe power station, damaging a transformer crucial for supplying the Northern State and triggering the blackout.

The company emphasized the negative impact of repeated attacks on power infrastructure on essential public services.

Past disruptions to power supply affecting water treatment plants have been linked to disease outbreaks, including cholera in White Nile State, forcing residents to use untreated river water.

The company said a specialized technical team was dispatched to the site to assess the damage and begin repairs, aiming to restore power “as quickly as possible.”

Separately, the army’s 19th Infantry Division in Merowe claimed its ground-based air defences early Saturday intercepted several drones launched by the RSF aimed at the dam and a nearby military base.

The army division added it was prepared to repel any threats in the Northern State and asserted that attempts to hit critical infrastructure would be thwarted.

The RSF previously threatened to invade the Northern and River Nile states following its capture of El Malha in North Darfur and advances towards Debba in the Northern State.

On the first day of the war, April 15, 2023, the RSF briefly seized Merowe military airport and destroyed several fighter aircraft before the army regained control of the site.