Sudan’s RSF launches second drone attack on Port Sudan in major escalation
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a second drone attack on Port Sudan, targeting fuel depots in the eastern city early on Monday, in a major escalation of a two-year-long conflict, Reuters news agency reported, citing security sources.
Large plumes of smoke and fire rose from the facility well into the afternoon as civil defence teams worked to contain a blaze there.
Military sources told Reuters that the RSF used a drone at dawn to bomb the fuel storage facilities that they described as civilian infrastructure.
“This attack reflects a deliberate attempt by these militias to paralyse life and target citizens’ basic needs,” Sudan’s energy and petroleum minister, Mohiedienn Naiem Mohamed Saied, said.
Speaking from the site, Saied condemned what he described as a “terrorist operation” aimed at crippling essential services.
He said fires had engulfed major fuel storage facilities after the drone hit a diesel depot and the blaze spread to nearby tanks, according to a ministry statement.
There were fears it could trigger a wider disaster in the densely populated area, Saied said.
On Sunday, the RSF carried out a drone attack on a military base and other targets near Port Sudan Airport, the first time the group had reached the strategic Red Sea city, previously considered a government stronghold and humanitarian hub. No casualties were reported.
