SAF accuses RSF of drone strike on Port Sudan, UAE condemn attack

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of launching a coordinated drone assault on the strategic Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Sunday. According to the SAF, 11 “suicide drones” targeted Osman Digna Air Base and other sites near Port Sudan International Airport in the early hours, striking a warehouse, a military installation, and several civilian areas.

Lt Gen Mahjoub Bishara, a Red Sea commander with the Sudanese Armed Forces, reportedly informed diplomats that most of the drones were intercepted by air defences, with some falling into the sea. One “strategic drone” is said to have penetrated those defences, causing material damage and minor injuries among personnel. No deaths have been reported.

SAF spokesperson Brig Gen Nabil Abdallah said the attack marked “a dangerous escalation” and warned it could “drag previously safe areas into the war.”

Video clips circulating online appear to show plumes of black smoke rising from the vicinity of the airport.

The RSF has yet to issue a public statement regarding the attack.

Port Sudan had remained largely untouched by fighting until now, emerging as a refuge for UN agencies and over 500000 displaced civilians. 

Following RSF’s takeover of Khartoum early in the conflict, the city became the base for the de facto Sudan government.

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry, based in Port Sudan, condemned the strikes as “terrorist” and accused RSF and its “regional sponsor”, explicitly naming the United Arab Emirates, of fuelling the conflict.

The ministry claimed RSF was attempting to destroy infrastructure and destabilise the only remaining stronghold of state authority. It urged the international community to “pressure the UAE to stop supplying weapons, funding, and operational planning to RSF.”

The drone attack on Port Sudan came just a day after a similar strike on Kassala Airport further east.

Many have speculated online that the drones used in the attack were reportedly China made loitering munitions resembling the Iranian Shahed 136 and believed to have been supplied by an external actor. They are said to have a 1500 km range and a 40 kg payload.

Radio Dabanga were however unable to independently verify what type of drone was used.

UAE response

UAE responded with a sharply worded statement today, rejecting any link to the attack and reiterating its support for peace efforts.

“The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms the targeting of vital civilian facilities and critical infrastructure in Port Sudan and Kassala, denouncing such acts as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law,” said the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

“The Ministry reaffirmed the UAE’s unwavering position in calling for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”

It also urged all parties “to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration, and the mechanisms proposed by the Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group.”

“The UAE calls for an end to the weaponisation and politicisation of humanitarian aid by the warring parties,” the MoFA added, stressing its “firm dedication to supporting all efforts aimed at alleviating the humanitarian crisis.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the recent drone strike on Port Sudan, with spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei expressing concern over continued attacks on civilian infrastructure and urging an immediate end to violence. 

Citing the worsening humanitarian crisis marked by displacement and hunger, he called on the international community to act swiftly to halt hostilities and ensure aid reaches those in need.