The city of Port Sudan, long considered a haven amid Sudan’s brutal civil war, was rocked by drone strikes for the third straight day on Tuesday, as multiple attacks targeted the city’s airport, a central army base, and a vital fuel depot.

The escalation marks a significant intensification in the conflict between Sudan's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Local sources reported heavy explosions at dawn, with thick plumes of smoke rising over the coastal city. One drone strike hit the civilian section of Port Sudan’s airport, forcing authorities to ground all flights at the country’s main international gateway. This came just two days after the same airport’s military base was attacked in similar strikes.

Another drone hit the city’s main army base, located near the residence of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. A nearby hotel was also reportedly damaged in the assault. A third strike targeted a fuel depot near the southern port, a densely populated area hosting United Nations offices, humanitarian agencies, and thousands of displaced persons who had previously fled Khartoum.

The attacks follow a devastating strike on Monday that ignited a massive fire at Sudan’s main fuel depot just south of the city, highlighting the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in government-held territory.

Witnesses in northern Port Sudan reported anti-aircraft fire emanating from a nearby military base as drones flew overhead. The Sudanese army has blamed the RSF for the drone campaign, which comes amid growing concerns over the group’s increasing reliance on aerial assaults since losing control of most of Khartoum in March.

Experts say the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (commonly known as Hemedti), is using drones to disrupt army logistics and demonstrate its continued reach into Sudanese Armed Forces-controlled areas. The military has accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying the RSF with advanced drone technology — a charge at the center of a case recently dismissed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ ruled on Monday that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the Sudanese government's accusations of genocide complicity against the UAE, citing an exemption the UAE holds under the UN Genocide Convention.

Port Sudan, which serves as the administrative seat of the army-aligned government, had remained relatively unscathed until this week’s attacks. The city is also a critical lifeline for humanitarian aid. Nearly all international relief destined for Sudan passes through its port. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the recent drone strikes “a worrying development threatening the protection of civilians and humanitarian operations.”

Since the war erupted in April 2023 between Burhan’s army and Daglo’s RSF, more than 13 million people have been displaced, tens of thousands killed, and parts of the country plunged into famine. Nearly 25 million Sudanese now suffer from extreme food insecurity — making it one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

The RSF’s expanded assault on civilian infrastructure in the army-controlled northeast has triggered widespread blackouts and disrupted already fragile services. Analysts warn that the surge in drone warfare signals a dangerous new phase in Sudan’s civil war — one that could bring further devastation to population centers once deemed safe.

With the country now effectively divided — the SAF holding central, northern, and eastern regions, and the RSF controlling most of Darfur and parts of the south — the road to peace appears increasingly uncertain as violence escalates in Port Sudan and beyond. (ILKHA)