Security sources told Reuters on Monday that the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a second drone attack in two days targeting fuel depots in Port Sudan, in the east of the country, marking a significant escalation in the two-year-long conflict. 

Thick plumes of smoke and flames continued to rise from the facility into the late afternoon, as civil defense teams struggled to contain the fire.

A criminal campaign

According to military sources cited by Reuters, the RSF used an unmanned aerial vehicle at dawn to strike civilian fuel storage infrastructure. The sources described the attack as part of a "criminal campaign" carried out by the militia.

Sudan's Minister of Energy and Oil, Mohieddin Naeem Mohamed Saeed, condemned the drone strike, characterizing it as a deliberate attempt to paralyze life and target citizens' basic needs.

In an official statement, the minister described the incident as a "terrorist act" aimed at crippling essential services. He confirmed that the fires engulfed major diesel storage facilities, with flames spreading to nearby fuel tanks.

Fears of wider humanitarian consequences

Saeed warned of the potential for a broader catastrophe in the densely populated area, as emergency teams work to control the ongoing blaze. So far, the RSF has not claimed responsibility for the strike.

This attack comes amid an intensifying internal war that has ravaged infrastructure, displaced millions, and paralyzed state institutions across Sudan since April 2023.

First attack targets de facto capital

Sudanese paramilitaries launched their first attack on Port Sudan on Sunday, marking a significant escalation in the Sudan civil war. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) used suicide drones to strike targets in the city, which has served as the seat of the army-aligned government since the war began two years ago.

According to a statement from army spokesperson Nabil Abdullah, the RSF "targeted Osman Digna Air Base, a goods warehouse and some civilian facilities in the city of Port Sudan." The attack caused limited damage and no casualties, although smoke was seen rising from the area near Port Sudan’s airport.

The RSF has ramped up the frequency and reach of drone attacks on army-controlled regions since losing much of Khartoum in March. The latest strikes on Port Sudan, a symbolic and logistical stronghold for the regular army, highlight a dramatic shift in RSF tactics.

Just a day earlier, a drone attack was reported in Kassala, a city located approximately 400 kilometers from RSF-held territory, marking another rare move into army-controlled eastern Sudan.

Port Sudan: Former safe haven now under threat