RSF rebel group strike Port Sudan for the first time
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebel group has launched a drone strike on Port Sudan for the first time during the civil war which has recently entered into its third year.
Saudi news agency Asharq Al-Awsat reported on May 4th that the attack was launched at a military air base and other key facilities in the Port Sudan area and that according to a statement release by the army, no casualties have been reported.
The RSF have not accepted or denied responsibility for the attack and are yet to release any comment.
Whilst the rebel group have launched hundreds of strikes across the country, including recently killing 11 people in a drone strike in the River Nile State, the attack on Port Sudan is the furthest advance they have made to the east of the country, a move that will deeply concern army forces.
In response to the attack, the army have intensified security around the port and have closed key roads entering nearby facilities.
Port Sudan has been considered the “safest place in the country” during the civil war and so the fact that the RSF have now made it a target represents a hugely concerning shift in the conflict.
The area is home to the country’s primary airport, army headquarters and a seaport and is a vital base of operations for the Sudanese army as well as allowing international access via the Red Sea.
The eastern regions of the country – which includes Port Sudan – are home to large camps of displaced people, the likes of which have been regularly targeted by the RSF.
Calls were made for the United Nations Security Council to sanction the rebel group after they launched attacks on on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps for internally displaced persons.
The camp is home to over 700,000 people and the attack led to the deaths of at least 400 people including children and aid workers.
Asharq Al-Awsat, Maghrebi
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