Drone Strikes Hit Port Sudan Airport and Army Base Amid Escalating Attacks
Explosions rock coastal city for third consecutive day as RSF drones target key government and military sites.
Port Sudan faced renewed drone attacks on Tuesday as explosions and smoke filled the skies for the third consecutive day, marking a dangerous escalation in Sudan’s civil conflict. Government officials confirmed that drones targeted the city's international airport and a central army base, intensifying pressure on the Sudanese military and threatening what had been a crucial humanitarian hub.
The strikes come just days after the city’s military facilities were first hit, disrupting operations in Port Sudan, a stronghold of the army and temporary seat of government. Loud blasts were reported at dawn, with plumes of smoke seen rising from the direction of the airport and a nearby fuel depot, according to an Agence France-Presse correspondent.
One drone hit the civilian terminal of the airport, grounding all flights, while another struck the main army base in the city center. A nearby hotel also sustained damage. Both sites are close to the residence of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who has been engaged in a brutal power struggle with his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), since April 2023.
A third drone attack ignited a fire at a fuel depot near the southern port, located in the densely populated heart of the city. The area houses UN agencies, aid groups, and hundreds of thousands of people displaced from Khartoum and other war-torn regions. Witnesses reported anti-aircraft fire in the city’s north as the military responded.
Port Sudan, once considered a haven, has now been drawn into the war's frontlines. On Monday, the country’s main fuel depot was also targeted, sparking a massive blaze and raising fears for the city’s safety. UN Secretary General António Guterres called the paramilitary attacks a "worrying development" that endangers civilians and humanitarian operations. Most international aid into Sudan passes through the port, which is now under threat.
The RSF has ramped up its use of drones since losing control of Khartoum in March. These strikes have disrupted the army's logistics and caused widespread power outages in army-controlled territories across northeastern Sudan. The military alleges that the RSF is using both improvised and advanced drones, some believed to be supplied by the United Arab Emirates.
The conflict, now in its second year, has caused massive suffering. Tens of thousands have been killed, over 13 million displaced, and nearly 25 million face acute food insecurity. Sudan is now grappling with the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis, with the country effectively split: the army controls the central, northern, and eastern regions, while the RSF dominates Darfur and parts of the south.
Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice dismissed a case brought by Sudan against the UAE, which accused it of aiding the RSF in acts of genocide. The court cited jurisdictional limitations due to a 2005 reservation by the UAE on the UN genocide convention. Sudan’s foreign ministry said it respected the ruling.
The ongoing drone assaults reflect a significant shift in RSF tactics, demonstrating its continued ability to strike deep into government-held areas — a development that further destabilizes one of Sudan’s last remaining operational gateways to the outside world.
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