Anti-aircraft batteries guarding Sudan’s junta headquarters in Port Sudan opened fire on incoming drones early Saturday, ending a week-long lull and rekindling fears of wider escalation, residents said.
Witnesses reported explosions north and west of the Red Sea city as at least two unmanned aircraft appeared overhead. No casualties were immediately confirmed.
The junta relocated to Port Sudan after war erupted in April 2023 between Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan’s army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
RSF strikes earlier this month wrecked the city’s airport, power stations and fuel depots, worsening shortages and choking humanitarian aid.
While the SAF holds the east, north and center, the RSF controls most of Darfur and parts of the south. Since withdrawing from Khartoum in March, the RSF has relied on long-range drone attacks paired with ground assaults to claw back territory.
Damage to northeastern infrastructure has plunged millions into blackout, contaminated water supplies and sparked a cholera outbreak that health officials say has killed nearly 300 people this month. Roughly 25 million Sudanese now face severe food insecurity.
Diplomats warn renewed airstrikes on the junta’s coastal seat could derail efforts to broker a political settlement as the conflict nears its third year.
