Sudanese paramilitary forces launched an attack on the eastern city of Port Sudan, targeting an airport, a warehouse, and several civilian facilities, resulting in “scattered explosions,” as reported by a spokesman for the Sudanese military.
Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, a spokesman for the Sudanese army, stated that the paramilitary group, known as the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.), utilized exploding drones in the assault. He noted that antiaircraft weapons successfully shot down several drones, but the attack still caused limited damage, including an explosion at an ammunition depot at Osman Digna Air Base. No casualties were reported.
The air base serves as both a military and civilian airport, and operations were temporarily suspended, according to the Civil Aviation Authority, which condemned the attack by the paramilitary group. However, Port Sudan International Airport announced that normal operations had resumed by Sunday afternoon.
This incident marks the first attack on Port Sudan since civil war erupted in Sudan in 2023, with the city currently functioning as the country’s provisional capital. The R.S.F. has not issued any immediate comments regarding the attack.
The strike occurred amid escalating tensions between the Sudanese military and the R.S.F., with civilian casualties rising sharply. A doctors' association recently accused the R.S.F. of killing over 100 civilians in an attack on Nahud, a city in southern Sudan.
Volker Türk, the U.N. human rights chief, expressed grave concerns about the situation in Sudan, stating he had alerted both military and R.S.F. leaders to the severe human rights implications of the ongoing conflict. Estimates indicate that more than 11 million people have been displaced and over 150,000 killed since the war began.
Each faction blames the other for initiating the conflict, which escalated following a coup in 2021 when military leaders and the R.S.F. initially joined forces. Their alliance deteriorated, leading to a prolonged struggle for power that has evolved into Africa’s largest war.
In March, the Sudanese military expelled R.S.F. fighters from Khartoum, the capital, but the group has since established its own governance in the territories it controls. Port Sudan, previously a quiet city, has become a refuge for civilians fleeing the violence and is now the seat of Sudan’s interim government, having largely avoided the conflict that has ravaged other regions of the country.
Sudan is rich in natural resources, including gold, and possesses a significant coastline along the Red Sea, as well as fertile agricultural land along the Nile. Various foreign powers have reportedly been supplying arms, funds, or fighters to gain strategic advantages or profits amid the ongoing turmoil.