Drone strikes continue to attack Port Sudan

A fifth consecutive day of drone strikes has been launched on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) stronghold of Port Sudan, as conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues.

According to the Algerian government-backed news channel AL24 reporting on May 8th, that a drone strike was launched against an air force college in Port Sudan.

No official statement has been released confirming whether any casualties have been suffered and as yet the RSF have yet to confirm or deny responsibility for the attack.

Until drone strikes were first launched five days ago, Port Sudan had remained one of the few safe places in the country and had therefore become the temporary seat of government and home to the country’s only working international airport.

Despite the fact that the SAF reclaimed the capital of Khartoum in March, Port Sudan has remained the administrate centre due to the fact that is has remained distant from the major regions of conflict further to the west of the country.

Port Sudan has provided a crucial base of safety for the SAF as well as for a large civilian population and being located on the Red Sea coast, it provided access to the country for shipments of vital humanitarian aid.

Vital infrastructure has also been struck across the city this week, causing a total blackout after the city’s main power station was struck on May 6th.

The RSF have previously attacked civilians in the North Darfur region, killing 400 people at the Zazam and Abu Shouk refugee camps in April and forcing thousands more to flee to the nearby city of al-Feshir which has come under siege from the RSF.

Both the RSF and the SAF have been accused of committing war crimes during the civil war that has torn the country apart since April 2023.

The United Nations have described the conflict – which is estimated to have killed over 150,000 people – as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

AL24/ Al Jazeera/ Maghrebi