Drone strike hits Port Sudan navy base

Fire burns following an aerial bombardment that resulted in casualties at the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres run facility destroying the last remaining hospital and pharmacy in the northern town of Old Fangak in Fangak county, South Sudan May 3, 2025. (Reuters)
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  • 鈥淭his was not a tragic accident. It was a calculated, unlawful attack on a protected medical facility,鈥� Sooka
  • 鈥淭he aerial bombing of the MSF hospital in Old Fangak is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law鈥�

PORT SUDAN: A drone strike targeted Sudan鈥檚 biggest naval base Wednesday, an army source told AFP, marking the fourth straight day the seat of the army-backed government has come under attack.
鈥淭hey (the drones) were met with anti-aircraft missiles,鈥� the source said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
An AFP correspondent reported a series of explosions early Wednesday and then a cloud of smoke coming from the direction of the Flamingo Base, just north of the city.
Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast had been a safe haven, hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people and United Nations offices, until Sunday when drone strikes blamed on the RSF began.
Drones struck across Port Sudan on Tuesday, hitting the main port, the city鈥檚 power station and the country鈥檚 last functioning international airport.
Nearly 600 kilometers (375 miles) south, 鈥渢hree drones attempted to strike airport facilities鈥� in the army-held eastern city of Kassala, near the border with Eritrea, a security source said Wednesday.
Witnesses told AFP they heard explosions from anti-aircraft missiles west of the city, which has also come under repeated attack this week.
Nationwide, the war has killed tens of thousands of peoople and uprooted 13 million.
The RSF has not directly commented on this week鈥檚 attacks on Port Sudan, about 650 kilometers (400 miles) from its nearest known positions on the outskirts of greater Khartoum.
The strikes have raised fears of disruption to humanitarian aid across Sudan, where famine has already been declared in some areas and nearly 25 million people are suffering dire food insecurity.
UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said he was 鈥渧ery concerned by ongoing drone strikes on Port Sudan, a hub for our humanitarian operations and key entry point for aid.鈥�
Nearly all aid into Sudan flows through the port city, which the United Nations has called 鈥渁 lifeline for humanitarian operations.鈥�
It has warned of more 鈥渉uman suffering in what is already the world鈥檚 largest humanitarian crisis.鈥�
Wednesday鈥檚 attack comes a day after Sudan cut ties with the UAE, accusing it of supplying weapons used by the RSF to strike Port Sudan and declaring the Gulf country an 鈥渁ggressor鈥� state.
The long-distance drone campaign comes after the RSF lost control of nearly all of greater Khartoum in March, after holding it virtually since the start of the war.
The war has effectively split Sudan in two, with the army controlling the center, north and east while the RSF holds nearly all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.