Escalating attacks and fire in Port Sudan amid ongoing civil war
Multiple explosions and a massive fire have been reported in Port Sudan as Sudan’s civil war continues to devastate the city for the third consecutive day. Though the exact locations and causes of the blasts remain unclear, dark smoke plumes were seen rising from the vicinity of the country's main maritime port. This area has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
According to Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, residents in Port Sudan have claimed that drone strikes, attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeted several sites including a fuel depot, Port Sudan International Airport, and a nearby hotel.
The hotel, which is located near key government buildings such as the Presidential Guest House, is where Sudanese Armed Forces leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan receives visitors. Local residents suspect that the RSF carried out these drone strikes on the port area and its airbase.
The ongoing conflict between Sudan’s military and the RSF has resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis, and these recent attacks on Port Sudan are expected to exacerbate the already dire situation. United Nations offices, aid agencies, and government ministries aligned with the military have set up headquarters in the city.
Sunday marked the beginning of increased violence in Port Sudan, with a military base near the country’s only international airport struck by drones. On Monday, fuel depots in the city were targeted, both of which military officials blame on the RSF. These strikes followed an attack on an RSF-controlled airport in Nyala, where the army claimed to have destroyed an aircraft and weapons depots. The RSF has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The international community has expressed concern over these recent developments, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UN condemning the violence. The war, which began in April 2023 over disagreements regarding Sudan’s transition to a civilian government, has displaced over 12 million people and left half of the population facing severe hunger, according to the UN.
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