Port Sudan, May 5 – Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a drone strike on the eastern city of Port Sudan for the first time on Sunday, hitting a military airport and other infrastructure in what the army called a significant escalation in the country’s two-year civil war.
Sudanese army spokesman Nabil Abdullah said multiple “suicide drones” targeted the Osman Digna Air Base, a goods warehouse, and civilian facilities in the Red Sea port city, causing limited damage but no reported casualties.
The RSF has not commented on the attack, which marks the first time the group has struck Port Sudan, the de facto capital of the military-led government since the conflict erupted in April 2023.
The attack forced the closure of the airport and the suspension of all flights, according to a government source cited by AFP. Travellers reported being evacuated from the terminal shortly after the strike.
Video footage circulating on social media appeared to show an explosion and thick black smoke billowing near the airport. Reuters was unable to independently verify the footage.
Port Sudan had previously been spared from direct attacks and has served as a refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians, as well as a hub for international aid agencies and the United Nations, which relocated operations there after the capital, Khartoum, fell early in the war.
Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
The war, triggered by tensions over a proposed transition to civilian rule and efforts to integrate the RSF into the national army, has killed an estimated 150,000 people and displaced more than 12 million.
The conflict has divided Sudan into zones controlled by the warring factions. The RSF holds most of the western Darfur region and parts of the south, while the SAF maintains control over the north and east, including Port Sudan.
On Saturday, an army source reported an RSF drone attack on Kassala, a city near the eastern border and roughly 400 km from known RSF positions, underscoring the group’s growing use of long-range aerial strikes.
The SAF has regained territory in recent months, including Khartoum’s presidential palace in March — a symbolic turning point in the war. However, analysts say a decisive military victory by either side remains unlikely.
International efforts to broker peace have faltered, with both factions receiving arms and support from foreign powers. The United Nations has labeled the situation in Sudan as the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis, with over 30 million people in need of assistance and widespread famine looming.
