Port Sudan under RSF's Drone Attacks for Third Day
The Red Sea city of Port Sudan has been under drone attacks for three consecutive days as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit key targets in the de-facto capital of Sudan's government.
The RSF's attacks of Port Sudan started on Sunday, targeting the city's airport for the first time since the conflict between the paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) broke out two years ago. Drones Hit Key Targets
Early on Tuesday, RSF drones struck key targets inside Port Sudan, including the airport, the maritime port and a hotel, the Associated Press (AP) reported citing two Sudanese military officials. Local media reported loud explosions and plumes of dark smoke rising from the area around the port and the airport.
The attack likely disrupted the airport's operations, with Cairo airport in Egypt cancelling three flights heading to Port Sudan. The Red Sea city serves as the interim seat of power for SAF-allied government and had been a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of people escaping the two-year civil conflict that engulfed Sudan. Port Sudan under Attack
The RSF targeted Port Sudan for the first time in war on Sunday, hitting the city's only functioning airport and the country's main entry point in the last two years. The drone attack disrupted air traffic in the airport. The drones also struck a military ammunition warehouse in the Othman Daqna airbase, setting it on fire for two days.
The Sudanese army spokesperson, Nabil Abdullah, blamed the attack on the RSF, saying that the paramilitary group launched many 'suicidal drones' at the base, 'a goods warehouse and some civilian facilities,' as quoted by the BBC. He added that the attack caused 'limited damage' with no injuries reported.
Then, on Monday, drones hit fuel depots in the city near the densely populated city center, where the UN and aid agencies, and hundreds of thousands of displaced people, have relocated from Khartoum. Retaliatory Attacks
The drone attacks apparently come in response to SAF's strikes on Nyala airport in South Darfur, which the RSF has turned into a base and where it receives arms and drone shipments.
In March, the SAF recaptured most parts of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, in a major victory for the country's military after two years of fighting against the RSF. The civil war has split Sudan in two, with the SAF controlling the center, north and east, and the RSF holding almost all of the western Darfur region and parts of the south.
The two warring parties engaged in fighting in April 2023, causing what the UN calls 'the world's most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis.' The war has so far claimed the lives of at least 24,000 people, displaced 13 million inside Sudan and to neighboring countries, and caused famine in some parts of the country, according to AP. Alarming Development
Following the drone strikes that hit Port Sudan, the UN raised concern over the escalation of violence in Sudan. 'These attacks appear to be the latest in a series of retaliatory military operations, conducted by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, targeting airports in each other's areas of control,' UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, told reporters on Monday.
Moreover, Haq raised the alarm over the drone attacks on Port Sudan as a 'worrying development threatening the protection of civilians and humanitarian operations' in the city.
The UN Deputy Spokesperson also conveyed the concern of the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, over the recent attacks on civilian infrastructure. He said Guterres 'renews his call for urgent dialogue between the warring parties towards an immediate cessation of hostilities and an inclusive political process.'
Furthermore, Haq emphasized that the UN still operates in Port Sudan. 'None of our offices, premises or warehouses have been impacted, and we continue to carry out our regular operations,' he noted.
However, he pointed out that the UN Humanitarian Air Service flights in and out the city have been temporarily paused, with the UN closely monitoring the situation in Port Sudan. Threat to Regional Stability
Saudi Arabia has strongly denounced the attacks on vital facilities and infrastructure in Port Sudan, warning that such acts represent a threat to regional stability and Arab and African national security, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Moreover, the Kingdom reiterated its position that the crisis in Sudan would only be solved through a Sudanese-Sudanese political resolution that respects Sudan's sovereignty and unity, stressing the importance of protecting civilians and implementing the commitments of the Jeddah Declaration.
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