RSF Drone Strikes Hit Port Sudan in Major Escalation of Civil War

Drone strikes carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued to hit the state military stronghold of Port Sudan for the fourth consecutive day Wednesday, marking a major escalation in the country’s ongoing civil war, the Washington Post reported. 

Port Sudan, which serves as an interim seat for Sudan’s military-allied government, is home to about 600,000 people – the majority of whom have been displaced since the conflict began in April 2023 – prompting concerns about civilian casualties, Al Jazeera noted. 

Recent strikes this week have targeted vital infrastructure in the eastern city, which had remained untouched by the fighting until Sunday.  

The RSF attacks destroyed fuel depots and sparked citywide power outages after hitting the main electricity substation. Flights in and out of Port Sudan’s airport, which serves as a critical hub for humanitarian operations, were suspended. 

On Wednesday, the Sudanese Armed Forces reportedly repelled a drone attack on Port Sudan’s Flamingo naval base – the country’s largest, according to Agence France-Presse. 

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates swiftly condemned the strikes, although the UAE is alleged to be supporting the RSF.  

Sudanese Information Minister Khaled al-Aiser accused the UAE of arming the RSF, calling the strikes a “criminal and terrorist attack.”  

Observers noted that the fighting in Port Sudan marks a new phase in a conflict that erupted two years ago between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) over control of the country’s political transition to a functioning democracy.  

Analyst Alan Boswell told the Post that the RSF’s strategy is to destabilize the east of the country after losing the capital Khartoum in March. He explained that the offensive could “deepen regional tensions.” 

“These attacks cross a red line for Saudi Arabia and Egypt, bringing the war to their Red Sea doorsteps with drone technologies usually beyond the reach of a non-state actor like the RSF,” he added. 

The war has displaced more than 12 million people and pushed half of Sudan’s population into acute hunger. The United Nations has called it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. 

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice on Monday said it could not rule on Sudan’s case accusing the UAE of fueling genocide in the Darfur region by arming the RSF, because it lacks the necessary jurisdiction, Reuters added. 

Though the court specified that it could not speak as to the merits of the case, the UAE welcomed the ruling as a legal vindication, while Sudan vowed to continue trying to hold the Gulf nation accountable.