Sudan has severed its diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of supplying the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with drones that have targeted Port Sudan, the provisional seat of government, for the past three days.
These strikes, attributed to the RSF by the regular army, have inflicted damage on critical infrastructure in Port Sudan, the country’s primary port. Reports indicate that an airport, a military base, a power station, and fuel depots were struck; however, there have been no reports of casualties.
“The entire world has witnessed for over two years acts of aggression against Sudan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens, perpetrated by the UAE through its local proxies,” stated Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim during a national television broadcast. He accused the UAE of providing “sophisticated strategic weapons” to the RSF.
“When the UAE realized that their proxy was facing imminent defeat against our armed forces, they escalated their support,” the Defense Minister asserted. He emphasized that Sudan “will respond to this aggression with all necessary means to preserve the country’s sovereignty.”
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in conflict between the army and the RSF. Although the city of Port Sudan had largely remained untouched by violence and serves as a transit point for humanitarian aid while hosting UN agencies and thousands of refugees, it has faced drone attacks since Sunday.
Civilian infrastructure has also been targeted in Kassala, a city in the east previously considered a “safe haven for civilians repeatedly displaced by this devastating conflict,” according to UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Clémentine Nkweta-Salami.
