Ethiopia restores power after six-hour blackout

By Sadik Kedir Abdu

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - Ethiopia’s nationwide power outage, which began around 6 p.m. (1500GMT) local time on Saturday, was fully restored by 10 p.m. (1900GMT), the Ethiopian Electric Power Authority announced.

The authority stated that power was gradually brought back online following nearly six hours of disruption caused by "system instability."

The blackout impacted homes, businesses, and essential infrastructure, prompting swift action from authorities to identify and resolve the issue. Officials assured the public that the situation is now under control.

This incident follows a similar event in March 2024, when a five-hour blackout plunged much of the country into darkness.

The cause of that outage was not disclosed, raising ongoing concerns about the reliability of Ethiopia’s power grid.

The Ethiopian Electric Power Authority urged residents to report any localized outages and assured that monitoring efforts will continue to prevent future disruptions.