The Face of Truth | Ibrahim Shaglawi Electricity: A Crisis or a Conspiracy?
The electricity crisis of recent days has reopened one of the most sensitive issues in the post-war period, after the energy sector witnessed two consecutive fires at strategic facilities. The first broke out at the old thermal power station in Port Sudan, before a fire at the Merowe Dam Power Station caused part of the electricity supply to go offline, leading to widespread power outages across several states.
The Ministry explained that the fire caused extensive damage to the main feeders of the transmission lines—Merowe–Al-Marakhiyat and Merowe–Atbara—which will require several days to complete repairs and restore electricity to the affected states. It also confirmed that investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire, while the Minister is personally supervising the repair work, the provision of spare parts, and the operation of alternative systems to ensure the management of the available power supply.
This crisis, which also affected water supplies in Khartoum State, has sparked a broader debate about the future of the country’s electricity sector: Are we facing an operational crisis imposed by the conditions of war and weak infrastructure? Or does the sequence of events raise questions about the security of the sector? Between these two possibilities, one fact remains paramount: electricity has become a test of the state’s ability to manage the recovery phase.
The stability of energy under such circumstances is directly linked to the return of economic activity, the functioning of institutions, the attraction of investment, and the strengthening of citizens’ confidence in the government. Therefore, any disruption in the energy sector—especially electricity—cannot simply be viewed as a technical fault resulting from a complex reality; rather, it should be seen as an indicator of the scale of the challenges facing the state during the reconstruction phase.
For this reason, the Ministry of Energy’s decision to launch an investigation into the causes of the fire, as stated in its announcement, is an important step. More important, however, is to announce the findings transparently to the public. The crisis is not merely about restoring electricity, but about the Ministry’s ability, with all its components, to protect strategic facilities. Therefore, with growing public anger over repeated power outages, this issue must be handled through a firm approach that balances accountability with the determination of responsibilities. If negligence is proven, those responsible must be held accountable; if the cause is technical, then the operation, protection, and firefighting systems must be reviewed to prevent future crises.
Notably, public debate has raised questions about possible irregularities within the electricity sector, even reaching allegations of a “fifth column.” However, such accusations must be based on evidence and the results of official investigations. At the same time, it cannot be overlooked that the sector has been affected since 2019 by administrative changes and the departure of a number of experienced engineers, followed by the migration of even more experts during the war, weakening the institutional memory of a sector that relies heavily on accumulated technical expertise.
However, the essence of the issue should not turn into a political dispute over individuals, but rather into a larger question: How can the state preserve its strategic institutions away from political polarization? Electricity is not an ordinary sector whose losses can be easily compensated, and any professional or administrative vacuum within it directly affects the state’s capacity.
In reality, the key question is not who caused the fire, but why the electricity sector has become so fragile that a single malfunction can plunge vast parts of the country into darkness, with such incidents recurring repeatedly. In my view, this is where the real crisis lies. The problem is not the fire alone, but rather the structure of a sector that has long suffered from challenges related to financing, maintenance, and modernization. Then came the war, multiplying the pressures and weakening the state’s ability to respond.
Therefore, the debate between the “crisis” hypothesis and the “conspiracy” hypothesis should not obscure the greater truth. Even if investigations prove that what happened was an act of sabotage or merely a technical failure, the sector’s fragility itself represents a strategic risk that requires the intervention of the security authorities. Critical infrastructure has become an integral part of national security because its stability is directly linked to the stability of the economy, society, and the state’s overall capacity.
Accordingly, this stage requires a transition from managing breakdowns to building a modern and sustainable energy system by engaging international consulting and engineering firms, rehabilitating the electricity networks, and attracting financing through innovative investment partnerships such as the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, thereby reducing the burden on the state while ensuring the entry of the expertise and capital necessary to rescue the situation.
According to #The_Face_of_Truth, our country today does not merely need electricity to return after every crisis; it needs an electricity sector capable of withstanding crises. Emergency management may address the immediate moment, but it does not build the future. In the end, investigations may reveal that what happened was a technical fault, or they may uncover negligence or an act of sabotage. Yet the most important political reality remains that a state in which a single fire can plunge vast areas into darkness is a state that needs a profound review of its entire energy system and workforce.
Wishing you continued health and well-being.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026Shglawi55@gmail.com