Sudan’s military announced on Sunday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone strike on Port Sudan, the government’s temporary administrative hub since the civil war began in 2023. This marks the first assault on the city, which had previously avoided direct conflict in the two-year war. The attack signals the RSF’s growing ability to escalate drone operations targeting army-controlled zones, despite being based roughly 650 kilometers away near Khartoum.
Army spokesperson Nabil Abdullah stated that RSF drones struck Osman Digna Air Base, a storage facility, and civilian infrastructure, causing limited damage but no casualties. Earlier, an AFP correspondent reported explosions near Port Sudan’s airport, while unverified social media footage showed a large blast followed by smoke.
Port Sudan, held by the military, serves as a strategic center for Sudan’s army, which dominates central, eastern, and northern regions. The RSF, meanwhile, controls much of Darfur and southern areas. The city’s previous immunity from violence underscores the paramilitary group’s enhanced reach, even after losing ground in Khartoum.
Conflict Origins and Humanitarian Toll
Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 amid a fraught transition to democracy following the 2019 ouster of autocrat Omar al-Bashir. Initially allied to remove Bashir, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), later collaborated in a 2021 coup that disrupted civilian governance. Tensions exploded when Hemedti refused to merge his forces into the national army, triggering widespread fighting.
Both factions face accusations of war crimes and violations of international law. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 12 million people, fueling what the UN calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Despite global calls for peace, hostilities persist, with the RSF’s latest strike on Port Sudan highlighting the conflict’s expanding brutality.
