A wave of drone strikes rocked the Red Sea city of Port Sudan early Tuesday, shattering its reputation as a rare safe zone in Sudan’s brutal two-year conflict.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are suspected to be behind the attacks, which mark the second such assault this week and the third consecutive day of bombardment.
Loud explosions and plumes of smoke were reported across the city, with local media and circulating videos showing fires near key infrastructure sites.
Witnesses confirmed that drones targeted the civilian section of Port Sudan’s only operational international airport, a military base in the city center, and a fuel depot in a densely populated area near the southern port.
One of the drone strikes hit a major hotel close to the residence of army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Another explosion struck near the presidential palace, forcing the cancellation of flights and deepening concerns over security in a city that had previously served as a base for diplomats, UN officials, and aid workers after the capital Khartoum descended into conflict.
While the military has accused the RSF of carrying out the attacks, the paramilitary group has not issued a statement.
The RSF has increasingly turned to drone warfare in recent months, seeking to retake ground lost to the army, including Khartoum, which was reclaimed by government forces in March.
The ongoing war between Sudan’s military and the RSF has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions, creating what the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes during the prolonged struggle for power.
Tuesday’s strikes underscore the growing reach and intensity of the RSF’s operations and threaten to further destabilize the fragile humanitarian lifelines centered in Port Sudan
By Lisa Murimi
