Escalation of Violence: Sudanese Paramilitary Attacks Port Sudan City

In a disturbing continuation of hostilities, Port Sudan faces relentless attacks from paramilitary forces, significantly impacting civilian life and aviation safety.

Explosions rock the city of Port Sudan as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, escalate their offensive against the military-led government's de-facto capital for the third day in a row. Thick plumes of black smoke filled the skyline of the once-secure city, as thousands seeking refuge from the protracted civil war face renewed danger.

Locals reported the cancellation of flights following drone strikes on the city's only operational international airport and a nearby hotel housing governmental officials. "I see a huge cloud and fire going like all around the city... and I heard also now that they were like two more loud bangs. It looks quite apocalyptic," noted journalist Cristina Karrer in an interview with the BBC. Witnesses accounted for multiple drone attacks, including one targeting the civilian section of the airport and another on a major military base in the city center.

A third drone strike hit a fuel depot in a densely populated area of Port Sudan, which has become a new hub for UN officials and diplomats after relocating from the conflict-ridden capital, Khartoum. Among the facilities hit, a major hotel close to army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's residence also suffered damages.

The military government has placed the blame squarely on the RSF for initiating the drone assaults, which commenced on a Sunday that had previously seen Port Sudan remain insulated from violence. As the RSF increasingly employs drone tactics to regain territories lost to the army, the situation in Sudan grows ever more dire.

The ongoing conflict, characterized by violent clashes between the army and the RSF over two years, has resulted in mass casualties and forced millions to flee their homes, casting Sudan into one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. Both factions have faced accusations of war crimes as the civil war escalates, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.