Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have continued a string of drone attacks on areas controlled by the army, with strikes reported for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday, according to a military source.
Targets included key military infrastructure in the east and south of the country. In Port Sudan, a city that has long served as a refuge and administrative centre for the army-backed government, RSF drones reportedly struck the Flamingo Naval Base, causing explosions near the port. Port Sudan, located on the Red Sea, had until recently been considered one of the few secure regions in Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict. It is also the primary entry point for humanitarian assistance, now at risk due to the escalating violence.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attacks, with his spokesperson warning that the strikes could worsen already dire humanitarian conditions and further hinder aid operations across the country.
In the south, RSF drones allegedly hit fuel storage sites in Kosti, a city in White Nile State under army control. The attacks triggered major fires, though no casualties were immediately reported. The RSF has not issued any statement regarding the strikes.
Sudan’s war, which erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has since killed tens of thousands and displaced an estimated 13 million people.
After losing its grip on greater Khartoum in March, the RSF has increased its reliance on long-range drone warfare, extending its reach into areas previously shielded from direct confrontation. The country is now effectively split, with the army controlling the north, east, and centre, while the RSF maintains dominance in much of the west and parts of the south.
