{"id":20117523,"date":"2025-06-12T15:22:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T13:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20117523"},"modified":"2025-06-12T15:22:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T13:22:05","slug":"sudan-media-forum-rsf-drone-strikes-on-port-sudan-expose-saf-defences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/sudan-media-forum-rsf-drone-strikes-on-port-sudan-expose-saf-defences","title":{"rendered":"Sudan Media Forum: \u2018RSF drone strikes on Port Sudan expose SAF defences\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Drones operated by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been flying over Port Sudan almost daily, a month after launching the first wave of coordinated drone strikes targeting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the east of the country. The strikes, which took place between 4 and 6 May, marked a turning point in the conflict, dealing strategic blows to the de facto capital of the SAF.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0RSF drone strikes<\/a>\u00a0hit an ammunition depot at\u00a0Osman Digna airbase<\/a>, fuel tanks south of the city, and a transformative power station. On 6 May alone, it struck the Marina Hotel, private oil depots near the southern port, and the Flamingo naval base.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drone attacks disrupted civil aviation, triggered tighter military restrictions, and led the SAF to warn South Sudan that it may shut down the oil export pipeline due to risks to critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brig Gen (Ret.) Adel Abdel Latif, a former Sudanese Air Force officer, described the attacks as \u201ca paradigm shift in the conflict.\u201d He told\u00a0Sudan Tribune<\/em>\u00a0that the aircraft used are likely\u00a0MALE-class drones<\/a>\u00a0(medium altitude, long endurance), capable of \u201cflying for 30 hours at 30,000 feet, and carrying out complex intelligence and combat missions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the RSF \u201chit their targets with extreme accuracy,\u201d and added that some of the drones may have been equipped with jamming technology to evade air defences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accusations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As strikes neared government buildings, the Sudanese Defence and Security Council accused the\u00a0United Arab Emirates<\/a>\u00a0(UAE) of backing the RSF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudan\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed the charge. At the United Nations, Sudan\u2019s Permanent Representative Ambassador\u00a0El Haris Idris<\/a>\u00a0went further, accusing the UAE of launching MQ-9-class drones from Red Sea bases \u201cat the request of the RSF.\u201d Military sources aligned with the army reported similar intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Abdel Latif offered a more technical interpretation. He said a launch from the Red Sea \u201cdoes not necessarily mean coming from outside the country,\u201d explaining that \u201capproximation to the sea gives the aircraft a better opportunity for manoeuvre and positioning and facilitates their return to the launch base.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018SAF weakness exposed\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strikes revealed critical weaknesses in the SAF\u2019s air defences. According to military sources, effective countermeasures were not deployed until the fourth day of the assault, when the army began using ground-based calibres that forced drones to higher altitudes. The RSF has since continued conducting surveillance and reconnaissance over the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security in Port Sudan has tightened. Movement around government buildings is restricted, public appearances by officials have been scaled back, and journalists have been banned from filming in public. Night-time civil aviation is suspended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdel Latif said the RSF has \u201cconducted strategic strikes on vital sites\u2014airports, dams, power stations\u2014which directly affect the army\u2019s ability to finance and continue its war.\u201d In contrast, he said the army\u2019s drone use remains limited to the tactical level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned that Sudan \u201clost its almost absolute control over the airspace,\u201d saying air superiority is now contested. \u201cCountering these attacks requires air force and integrated air defence\u2014which seems not currently available.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘No decisive victory possible’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdel Latif concluded that a military resolution is increasingly unlikely. \u201cAchieving a decisive victory for either party is exploitable given the difficulty of compensating for losses, especially in the air force, which requires huge resources and a long time to compensate for its pilots and equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urged both sides to end the conflict: \u201cSeek to stop the war, the\u00a0bloodshed<\/a>, and the draining of the country\u2019s human and economic capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sudan Media Forum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This article was published by the\u00a0Sudan Media Forum<\/a>\u00a0in collaboration with Sudan Tribune, as part of efforts to raise awareness of the war\u2019s toll after 26 months of conflict, the collapse of basic services, and the spread of disease and displacement.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#SilenceKills #\u0627\u0644\u0635\u0645\u062a_\u064a\u0642\u062a\u0644 #NoTimeToWasteForSudan #\u0627\u0644\u0648\u0636\u0639_\u0641\u064a_\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0648\u062f\u0627\u0646_\u0644\u0627\u064a\u062d\u062a\u0645\u0644_\u0627\u0644\u062a\u0623\u062c\u064a\u0644 #StandWithSudan #\u0633\u0627\u0646\u062f\u0648\u0627_\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0648\u062f\u0627\u0646 #SudanMediaForum #PressFreedom<\/strong><\/p>\n