Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on Sunday. AFP
Early Tuesday, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched drone strikes on Port Sudan, targeting key sites including the airport, the port, and a hotel, according to military officials.
The attacks, the second on the city this week, resulted in explosions, with thick fires seen near Sudan’s main seaport.
The assault disrupted air traffic, as Sudanese Civil Aviation suspended all flights to and from Port Sudan International Airport until 5pm.
According to a press release by EgyptAir, flight MS865 from Cairo to Port Sudan, scheduled for Tuesday, 6 May, has been cancelled due to the ongoing unrest in Port Sudan.
"This latest escalation undermines ceasefire efforts, civilian safety, and humanitarian aid access in Sudan to those in need," the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Egypt reiterated its firm rejection of any targeting of civilian facilities and violation of international humanitarian law, stressing that such actions destroy state resources and disrupt the daily lives of citizens.
Successive strikes
This latest attack followed another strike on Port Sudan on Sunday, when suicide drones targeted Osman Digna Air Base, a goods warehouse, and civilian facilities.
According to the army spokesman Nabil Abdullah, no casualties were reported but a "limited damage."
At the outset of the war, the government moved from Khartoum to Port Sudan, which had remained violence-free until the Sunday attack occurred.
On Saturday also, a Sudanese government source reported a rare drone strike in Kassala, near the eastern border with Eritrea and roughly 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the closest RSF-controlled area.
In a separate statement, Egypt condemned both the Port Sudan and Kassala attacks as a threat to Sudan’s unity, stability, and humanitarian relief efforts.
Since April 2023, a brutal war has erupted between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
This war has left tens of thousands dead and displaced 13 million Sudanese, including 8.6 millions internally and around four millions across the borders.
Since then, the army controls the central, eastern, and northern regions, while the RSF controls much of Darfur in the west and areas in the south.
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