Renewed drone strikes pummel Port Sudan for third day as civilian infrastructure hit

Port Sudan endured a third consecutive day of drone strikes today, targeting key civilian and military infrastructure in what officials described as a calculated assault on the country’s administrative capital. Explosions hit Port Sudan International Airport, the main power station, fuel depots, and several military and government-linked sites.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), alleging that the drones were supplied by the UAE. El Basha Tebeig, advisor to RSF Commander Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo, posted a cryptic message on his official X account (formerly Twitter) earlier today, linking the strikes to a previous attack on Tel Aviv Airport.

Sunday’s attacks damaged the airport and Osman Digna Air Base; Monday’s hit vital fuel depots. Tuesday’s strikes ignited new fires and sent smoke across the city.

The Civil Aviation Authority grounded all flights between 10:00 a.m. and 17:00 p.m., with EgyptAir cancelling all services. The national electricity company confirmed the power station was struck, cutting supply to parts of the city.

The main fuel depot and four storage sites were destroyed. Civil Defence is struggling to contain the blaze, and a request for help was sent to Saudi Arabia.

Fuel shortages have spread to Kassala, with queues forming at stations. A dialysis centre in Port Sudan cut treatment hours and asked patients to arrive earlier.

Drones hit Kassala’s airport for the third time in as many days, while northern Sudan’s Meroe Dam was damaged in a separate attack on Monday night.

Egypt condemned the strikes, warning they threaten ceasefire efforts. Rebel factions meeting in eastern Sudan said the war was “entering a dangerous phase” and vowed to defend the region.

UN condemns the attacks

In a press release circulated today, UN Resident and Sudan’s Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA), Clementine Nkweta-Salami, expressed shock at the escalating drone strikes.

She warned that damage to civilian infrastructure such as the Port Sudan airport, a key aid corridor, could deepen humanitarian suffering across the country.

“The airport is a lifeline for humanitarian operations, and fuel from Port Sudan is critical to dispatching aid across Sudan,” she said. Disruption to supply chains, she noted, could drive up the cost of basic goods and worsen an already dire crisis.

“These are serious violations of international humanitarian law,” she added, calling on all parties to the conflict to “cease hostilities and ensure the protection of civilians.”