Sudan's RSF expands drone offensive and attacks fuel depots in south

Naval base in Port Sudan also hit in fifth day of strikes by paramilitary

The aftermath of an RSF drone strike in Port Sudan on Tuesday. AP

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday attacked important installations in army-held areas for a fifth straight day, with drones hitting fuel depots in the southern city of Kosti and a naval base, witnesses said.

The air force academy in Port Sudan was also attacked, they added.

The witnesses said the attack on the fuel depots at Kosti started huge fires, sending a black cloud of smoke skywards. The assault on the naval base, the second since the attacks began on Sunday, triggered a series of explosions that rocked Port Sudan, they added.

Anti-aircraft fire rang out in the city early in the morning when the drones struck, the witnesses said.

The attacks are part of a campaign that began on Sunday when RSF drones first struck Port Sudan, hitting the international airport, a military base, major fuel depots and the city's main power transformer.

The attacks on Port Sudan marked a dramatic expansion of the two-year war between the RSF and the armed forces. The Red Sea city, home to Sudan's main port, had been spared the ravages of the conflict until Sunday.

Port Sudan became the de facto capital of Sudan soon after the war broke out, when the RSF overran Khartoum. Besides the military leadership and the government, Port Sudan is also home to diplomatic missions and serves as the centre for aid operations in the country, where about 26 million people face acute hunger.

The attacks on Port Sudan mark a dramatic expansion of the theatre of operations in the two-year war. Reuters

“The militia [RSF] launched another drone attack on the Flamingo Naval Base north of Port Sudan,” an army source told AFP on Thursday.

Port Sudan residents said civilians were scrambling to leave the city to escape the drone attacks. "You can't get a ticket without booking over a day in advance now, all the buses are booked," said bus company employee Mahmoud Hussein.

Among those fleeing was Haidar Ibrahim, who was preparing to travel south with his family. "The smoke is everywhere and my wife suffers from asthma," he said. "We have no choice but to leave."

Transport costs have nearly doubled as a result of fuel shortages triggered by the attacks on fuel depots, according to residents.

On Wednesday night, drones were seen over the army-held eastern city of Kassala and the northern city of Meroe, drawing anti-aircraft fire. The airport in Kassala has been attacked by drones at least twice in recent weeks. A power station in Meroe, north of Khartoum, was hit last month, also by drones, causing a power cut.

The eight-country east African bloc the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) called the attacks on civilian infrastructure in Port Sudan "unacceptable" and demanded an "immediate end" to them.

"Any assault on this critical hub further compounds human suffering and impedes the delivery of urgently needed assistance," IGAD executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said in a statement.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned the attacks “threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country”, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

In the southern White Nile state, RSF drones also struck fuel depots in the army-controlled city of Kosti on Thursday, setting off massive fires, witnesses said.

The RSF has not commented on the drone attacks since they began on Sunday. The army said the attacks would make the Sudanese stronger and more united and vowed again to fight the RSF until victory.

The Sudan conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced some 13 million, according to UN figures.

The war, which began as a power struggle between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, has spiralled into what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Besides the acute hunger facing millions, pockets of famine have also surfaced in several locations of the resource-rich but impoverished country.

The war has effectively divided Sudan in two with the army controlling the north, east and centre – including the capital Khartoum – and the RSF dominating nearly all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.

Al Shafie Ahmed contributed to this report from Kampala, Uganda. With additional reporting by AFP