Sudanese army accuses paramilitary forces of targeting hydroelectric dam in Sudan

Khartoum: The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Monday accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of launching drone attacks targeting the Merowe Dam in Sudan's Northern State, which led to a widespread power outage.

"As part of its systematic campaign targeting military sites, vital facilities and the country's development projects, and after the successive defeats inflicted on it by our armed forces on all fronts, the RSF militia targetted the Merowe Dam hydroelectric plant with a number of drones," SAF's 19th Infantry Division said in a statement.

"The ground anti-aircraft weapons repelled the attack," the statement said, noting that the attack resulted in "some damages," without giving further details.

The Merowe Dam, a hydroelectric dam on the Nile River inaugurated in 2009, is located about 350 km north of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, and is one of the largest hydropower projects in Africa.

Video clips on social media showed that a fire broke out at an electricity transmission station that transmits electricity from the dam to the national grid, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to eyewitnesses, Merowe, Port Sudan, Omdurman, Atbara and Dongola cities have witnessed power outage.

The RSF has not commented yet on the SAF statement.

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which claimed at least 29,683 lives and displaced nearly 15 million people, either inside or outside Sudan, according to the latest estimates by international organisations.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Saturday recaptured Wad Madani, the capital city of Gezira State in central Sudan, from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the office of the SAF spokesperson said in a statement.

"The command of the SAF congratulates our honourable people on the entry of our forces into Wad Madani this Saturday morning, where they are currently engaged in cleaning up pockets of resistance by the rebels inside the city," the statement said.

For its part, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry described the recapture of Wad Madani as an important victory.

"The victory signifies the beginning of the end of the nightmare which has burdened the Sudanese people for nearly two years, represented by the rebel militia," the ministry said in a statement.

Sudanese army soldiers published video clips from inside the command headquarters of the 1st Division of the SAF in Wad Madani, which had been controlled by the RSF, while activists posted videos showing celebrations by citizens inside Wad Madani, chanting and waving to military units as they were entering the city.

Major Sudanese cities, including Atbara, Port Sudan, Omdurman and Kosti, witnessed popular demonstrations in celebration of the recapture of Wad Madani.

Since early January, the SAF had launched a major ground operation to regain control of Wad Madani, some 189 km from the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

In December 2023, the RSF took control of Gezira State after the SAF withdrew from Wad Madani.