*Strikes in Port Sudan hit military sites, energy infrastructure, and country’s only functioning international airport*
*Civilians tell Avaaz they fear they will be targeted*
*UN warns city is a crucial hub for aid sent to the rest of the country*
FRI 9 MAY -- Port Sudan saw a sixth day of strikes early on Friday as drones continue to extend the reach of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and bring the war to areas previously safe for civilians. The latest strikes brought the total number of drone attacks carried out or attempted by the RSF across Sudan in the past week to more than 20, according to reports collated by Avaaz.
Military sources told Al Arabiya that drone strikes on Friday had hit sites in Port Sudan, while others had been intercepted by air defences. Anti-aircraft fire was most active in the skies above Port Sudan’s main Red Sea ports and the Flamingo naval base, Sudan Tribune reported. It followed reported strikes against the base as well as an Air Force Academy on Thursday. Footage early on Thursday showed a number of large fires in Port Sudan as air defence missiles moved into the sky above the city.
Essential services in Port Sudan, including its water and electricity supply, have been devastated by the attacks, according to monitoring groups.
You can find a list of drone strikes across Sudan since the start of May on our new tracker here. You can also see their locations on our tracker map.
The strikes began on Sunday and continued throughout the week, coming in the early hours of the morning and often targeting military sites and energy infrastructure. Footage from Port Sudan on Monday showed emergency crews tackling a large blaze at a site run by Sudan’s state-owned petroleum company. The Sudan Doctors Network (SDN) said on Wednesday that 17 people were hospitalized, including nine who had experienced suffocation, as a result of strikes on fuel depots over the previous two days.
Port Sudan’s airport, currently the country’s only functioning airport, was also targeted by multiple strikes. Footage from the lobby of a prominent hotel in the centre of the city showed damage to the ceiling and glass covering the floor, although reports suggested the building was hit by a guided missile, not a drone.
Elsewhere, SDN said on Thursday that a drone strike by the RSF in west Omdurman killed three children and injured four others inside their home. Strikes also targeted the cities of Kosti in the south and Kassala in the east as well as the Northern State town of Merowe. One image from Kosti showed a huge fire in the aftermath of what was believed to be a drone strike on a fuel depot.
In Nyala in South Darfur, a city currently under RSF control, photos taken on Tuesday showed what appeared to be a drone in mid-flight. Last month, a report from the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab used satellite imagery taken on 25 April to identify six advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at Nyala International Airport. It said that, since December, between one and four UAVs consistent with a Chinese-manufactured model had been regularly visible at the site and that the increase indicated that the RSF “continues to receive shipments of advanced weapons systems”.
The latest report from the group confirmed the destruction of a plane at the airport, with reports suggesting SAF targeted the site, possibly with a drone, on 2 May following the arrival of a cargo plane the night before.
In a video statement delivered with smoke from one of the Port Sudan strikes rising behind him, General Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), vowed that “retribution will come” for those responsible. “The Sudanese people will make history and will rewrite history as an invincible and undefeated people, steadfast and patient, and we will move forward to achieve our goals of defeating... the militia and those who support and assist it,” he said.
The origins and launch sites of the drones used in this week’s strikes remain unclear, but the RSF’s increasing use of the craft is allowing them to reach areas previously safe from the conflict. Port Sudan in particular is hundreds of miles from any area under RSF control, and has until now been a place people could flee to escape the fighting in other parts of the country.
One civilian, speaking to Avaaz for our Voices From The Ground section below, said the drone attacks are “highly visible“ and that the city’s air defences had not been able to stop them. They added that some people displaced to Port Sudan from areas like Atbara, Al-Gezira, and Khartoum are considering returning home. According to the latest displacement data from the International Organization for Migration, approximately 120 households were displaced in the Port Sudan area on Monday and Tuesday because of the strikes.
The Emergency Lawyers human rights group said in a statement that the attacks had caused a “catastrophic collapse of essential services”, including the “paralysis” of Port Sudan’s water and electricity supply. “Millions of civilians are at risk amid a dangerous escalation deepening the humanitarian crisis and a rapid breakdown of life-sustaining systems,” it said.
The UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, said Port Sudan International Airport was the primary entry point for aid into Sudan and that the availability of fuel was “critical” for the transport of supplies across the country, while the body’s emergency relief coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said “constant care must be taken to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure”.
The Center for Advanced Defense Studies has a new report detailing the methods SAF’s main procurement arm is using to evade sanctions and maintain the military's supply of ammunition. The report uses trade data to show how Defense Industries System (MASAD), Sudan’s largest defence enterprise, is using a network of subsidiaries to purchase material that could be used in the domestic manufacture of ammunition from a major Indian metals producer.
“Precursor materials and components used in the production of arms and ammunition contribute as much to exacerbating the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan as the arms and ammunition themselves, and the procurement of these materials deserves just as much international attention as the flow of arms,” it says.
Read the full report here.
Interviews available on request. Names have been changed due to safety concerns.
One person living in Port Sudan after being displaced from Khartoum earlier in the war told Avaaz:
“We are all in a state of confusion. They've taken us back to April 15, 2023 [the start of the war], with people uncertain whether to stay or leave. Port Sudan had been considered Noah's Ark for those displaced from Khartoum and Al-Gezira, but life has suddenly stopped for everyone here. We've experienced this before when our lives were halted in Khartoum because of the war, but the locals in Port Sudan are confused as they have never experienced these types of attacks.
“The drone attacks are highly visible and undeniable. The ground defense systems are unable to stop them. So far, they have only targeted military installations, but there are fears they might target civilians next, as has happened in other parts of the country. Some attacks aren't even being reported because they have become so numerous. The media isn’t able to report on all the attacks.
“Life is already difficult in Port Sudan—we haven't had electricity for a month, and we're beginning to face a fuel crisis. That's why you don't see much movement on the streets now. People are starting to panic, and families are keeping their children home from school. The bus station is crowded with people returning to Atbara, Khartoum, and Al-Gezira. Some are even attempting to travel to Egypt by road.
“We worry that telecommunication towers will be the next target. Telecom services are the only thing we have left that helps us communicate and support each other.”
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The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts and survivors of the war. I am available at +44 7935 296 004 / sudan@avaaz.org.
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