Khartoum: A wave of drone attacks and explosions struck Port Sudan on Tuesday, shattering the relative calm in the city and escalating the ongoing civil war in Sudan. Eyewitnesses reported plumes of thick black smoke rising from critical fuel storage sites near the port and airport, following a series of intense strikes believed to be carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to British maritime security firm Ambrey, the RSF targeted key infrastructure including the city’s container terminal in what has become the most sustained assault since attacks on Port Sudan began on Sunday. Other targets included an electricity substation—causing a citywide blackout—and a hotel near the presidential residence.
The destruction threatens to worsen what the United Nations already describes as the world's most severe humanitarian crisis. Port Sudan, previously a safe haven amid the conflict, now faces disrupted aid deliveries, fuel shortages, and compromised access to power and cooking gas.
Since the conflict between Sudan's army and the RSF erupted in April 2023, Port Sudan on the Red Sea had served as the main operations hub for the army-backed government, U.N. agencies, and international diplomats. The city also hosts hundreds of thousands of people displaced by fighting in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere.
Military officials have blamed the RSF for the latest attacks, although the group has not officially claimed responsibility. The drone offensive marks a new phase in the war, as the RSF adopts more aerial tactics after being pushed out of central Sudan in recent months.
The army has responded with continued air raids in the Darfur region, the RSF’s main base, and both sides are currently battling for control of al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur.
The violence has alarmed regional actors, prompting condemnation from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and concern from the United Nations. The Sudanese government continues to accuse the United Arab Emirates of supporting the RSF—a claim under investigation by U.N. experts, though denied by the UAE.
As Sudan’s civil war drags on, over 12 million people have been displaced and nearly half the population faces severe hunger. The strategic location of Sudan along the Red Sea and its proximity to multiple African regions has drawn in foreign powers, further complicating efforts to resolve the conflict.
[Human Online, Reuters]
