Paramilitaries strike Port Sudan for first time, army says

A drone onslaught launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck a subject airdrome successful the metropolis of Port Sudan connected Sunday, according to the Sudanese army.

It marks the archetypal clip RSF attacks person reached the metropolis - the de-facto superior of Sudan's military-led government - since the struggle betwixt the warring factions erupted 2 years ago.

Sudanese service spokesperson Nabil Abdullah said the RSF had launched respective "suicide drones" astatine the eastbound Red Sea larboard city, targeting the Osman Digna Air Base, "a goods warehouse and immoderate civilian facilities".

He said nary injuries had been reported but the onslaught had caused "limited damage". The RSF has not commented connected the incident.

Sudan plunged into struggle successful April 2023 erstwhile a vicious powerfulness conflict broke retired betwixt the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF, a almighty paramilitary group, up of a planned modulation to civilian rule.

At slightest 150,000 radical are estimated to person died successful the ensuing civilian war, with immoderate 12 cardinal forced to fly their homes.

The United Nations has described the concern successful Sudan arsenic the world's largest and astir devastating humanitarian crisis, with implicit 30 cardinal radical successful request of assistance and millions facing acute nutrient shortages and famine.

Prior to the attacks connected Sunday, Port Sudan had avoided bombardment and was regarded arsenic 1 of the safest places successful the war-ravaged nation.

After the SAF mislaid power of the superior Khartoum aboriginal successful the war, Port Sudan became the de facto office for the military-led authorities helmed by General Abdel Fattah-al Burhan.

UN agencies moved their offices and unit to the coastal metropolis and hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians person fled determination during the war.

"We were connected the mode to the level erstwhile we were rapidly evacuated and taken retired of the terminal," a traveller told AFP quality bureau connected Sunday pursuing the strikes.

Video footage connected societal media, which the BBC has not independently verified, appears to amusement an detonation and immense plumes of achromatic fume billowing into the sky.

The airdrome has been closed and each flights suspended, a authorities root told AFP quality agency.

The two-year struggle has near the federation divided into rival zones.

The RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - known arsenic Hemedti - controls astir of the immense Darfur portion successful occidental Sudan, and parts of the south.

The military-backed authorities controls eastbound and bluish Sudan, including the cardinal Red Sea metropolis of Port Sudan.

Sunday's onslaught is the latest successful a drawstring of RSF drone attacks connected subject and civilian infrastructure successful army-held territory. On Saturday, an service root reported a drone onslaught connected Kassala, connected Sudan's eastbound border, astir 250 miles (400k) from the nearest RSF position.

The SAF has taken backmost swathes of territory successful caller months, including regaining power of the statesmanlike palace successful Khartoum successful March.

Taking backmost the superior was seen arsenic a turning constituent successful the two-year civilian war, but portion the SAF presently person momentum, it is improbable that either broadside tin execute a triumph that volition alteration them to govern the full of Sudan, according to a study by the International Crisis Group.

This is Sudan's 3rd civilian warfare successful 70 years, but is regarded arsenic worse than the others, tearing done the halfway of the state and hardening divisions.

Following a coup successful 2021, a assembly of generals ran Sudan - led by the 2 men astatine the centre of the existent conflict.

Al-Burhan was caput of Sudan's equipped forces and successful effect the country's president, portion Hemedti was his lawman and person of the RSF.

The brace disagreed astir the absorption the state was going successful and the projected determination towards civilian regularisation - successful peculiar plans to sorb the 100,000-strong RSF into the army.

Tensions betwixt the service and the RSF grew arsenic a deadline for forming a civilian authorities approached, earlier warring betwixt the 2 sides for power of the Sudanese authorities began.

International efforts to broker bid person failed and some sides are backed by overseas powers who person poured weapons into the country.