Port Sudan drone strikes escalate for third day amid widening conflict
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Drone attacks on Port Sudan's airport, army base, and fuel facilities raise fears of a broader escalation, threatening vital humanitarian aid.
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Sudanese army officers inspect a recently discovered weapons storage site belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP)
Aerial drone strikes targeted Port Sudan’s airport and a key army base on Tuesday, marking the third consecutive day of attacks on the Sudanese army-aligned government’s stronghold, as the country’s war deepens in 2025.
The wave of attacks followed a massive blaze on Monday at Sudan’s primary fuel depot, located south of the city. Port Sudan has long served as a haven for hundreds of thousands fleeing violence across the country since the outbreak of war in April 2023.
Explosions were heard at dawn, sending thick smoke over the Red Sea port city, as per AFP. Blasts occurred near the main harbor and again in the vicinity of the southern fuel facility.
An airport official confirmed that one drone struck "the civilian section of the Port Sudan airport." A separate military source indicated that another drone targeted the central army base in the city. Witnesses added that a nearby hotel sustained damage during the strikes.
Explosions near al-Burhan’s residence
The impacted sites are close to the residence of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who remains entrenched in a bloody power struggle with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, his former deputy.
A third drone strike hit a fuel facility in the city’s southern port area, now crowded with UN agencies, humanitarian organizations, and internally displaced civilians, most of whom fled Khartoum.
Witnesses from northern Port Sudan reported seeing anti-aircraft fire from a nearby military installation. As of now, no casualties have been confirmed. The country’s main international airport remains closed, an official said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the strikes on Port Sudan as a “worrying development threatening the protection of civilians and humanitarian operations.” Egypt, which shares a border with Sudan, condemned the attacks and warned of “the danger of the latest escalation” and its impact on ceasefire efforts and humanitarian aid delivery.
Army blames UAE for supplying drones
The RSF has not claimed responsibility for the recent strikes but has increasingly relied on drone warfare since its expulsion from Khartoum in March. The Sudanese army accuses the United Arab Emirates of supplying both basic and advanced drones to the RSF in violation of international law.
In recent weeks, RSF drone attacks have focused on civilian infrastructure in the country’s northeast, triggering large-scale power outages that have affected millions.
On Monday, the International Court of Justice dismissed Sudan’s case against the UAE, which alleged the Gulf state was complicit in genocide through its backing of the RSF. The court cited a 2005 reservation by the UAE under the UN Genocide Convention, stating it had no jurisdiction to hear the case.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry responded by stating it "respected" the court’s decision, while emphasizing the ruling “cannot legally be interpreted as a denial of the violations, nor does it represent any acquittal of the UAE from its involvement in genocide.”
“The legal battle against those attacking Sudan is not over,” the Ministry declared.
