Sudan’s paramilitary unleashes drones on key targets in Port Sudan,
officials say
[May 06, 2025]
By SAMY MAGDY
CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s paramilitary unleashed drones on the Red Sea city
of Port Sudan early Tuesday, hitting key targets there, including the
airport, the port and a hotel, military officials said. The barrage was
the second such attack this week on a city that had been a hub for
people fleeing Sudan's two-year war.
There was no immediate word on casualties or the extent of damage. Local
media reported loud sound of explosions and fires at the port and the
airport. Footage circulating online showed thick smoke rising over the
area.
The attack on Port Sudan, which also serves as an interim seat for
Sudan's military-allied government, underscores that after two years of
fighting, the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are
still capable of threatening each other’s territory.
The RSF drones struck early in the morning, said two Sudanese military
officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to talk to the media.
Information Minister Khalid Aleiser visited the southern part of the
port where he said fuel tanks were hit in the attack. He slammed the
United Arab Emirates, saying it was arming the paramilitary RSF.
“We will continue our legitimate battle,” he said as flames and thick
smoke billowed behind him.
Abdel-Rahman al-Nour, a Port Sudan resident, said he woke up to strong
explosions, and saw fires and plumes of black smoke rising over the
port. Msha’ashir Ahmed, a local journalist living in Port Sudan, said
fires were still burning late Tuesday morning in the southern vicinity
of the maritime port.
The attack apparently disrupted air traffic at the airport, with Cairo
airport data in neighboring Egypt showing that three Port Sudan-bound
flights were canceled on Tuesday.
The RSF did not release any statements on the attack. On Sunday, the
paramilitary force struck Port Sudan for the first time in the war,
disrupting air traffic in the city’s airport, which has been the main
entry point for the county in the last two years.
[to top of second column]
|
Smoke billows after drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support
Forces (RSF) targeted the northern port in the Red Sea city of Port
Sudan, Sudan, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo)
A military ammunition warehouse in the Othman Daqna airbase in the
city was also hit, setting off a fire that burned for two days.
When the fighting in Sudan broke out, the focus of the battles
initially was the country's capital, Khartoum, which turned into a
war zone. Withing weeks, Port Sudan, about 800 kilometers (500
miles) to the east of Khartoum, turned into a safe haven for the
displaced and those fleeing the war. Many aid missions and U.N.
agencies moved their offices there.
The attacks on Port Sudan are also seen as retaliation after the
Sudanese military earlier this month struck the Nyala airport in
South Darfur, which the paramilitary RSF has turned into a base and
where it gets shipments of arms, including drones.
The RSF is allied with the United Arab Emirates, which U.N. experts
say has provided weapons, including drones to the paramilitary. The
UAE denies the claim. Sudan's miliary is backed by Egypt.
Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023, when simmering tensions
between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare in
Khartoum. From there, the fighting spread to other parts of the
country.
Since then, at least 24,000 people have been killed, though the
number is likely far higher. The war has driven about 13 million
people from their homes, including four million crossed into
neighboring countries. It also pushed parts of the country into
famine.
The fighting has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and
ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes
against humanity, especially in the western Darfur region, according
to the United Nations and international rights groups.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
