Attacks on Port Sudan point to escalation of war amid humanitarian catastrophe

By Linda Bordoni

For the third day in a row, multiple explosions have been heard and a huge fire has erupted in Port Sudan, Sudan’s main maritime port, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge during the two-year war.

Drone attacks launched by the RFS on Tuesday reportedly hit multiple locations, including a fuel depot.  

A hotel and Sudan’s main power substation were also reportedly struck, causing a blackout across the city.

Civilians have been evacuated from the airport and the hotel, reporters said, adding that many of them are panicking as they try to seek refuge in other parts of the city that have become a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict.

Humanitarian crisis

The war between Sudan’s army and the RSF has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, one likely to be worsened by these latest attacks on Port Sudan, where the United Nations and other aid agencies, as well as army-aligned government ministries, have set up headquarters.

The attacks on the Red Sea coastal city, which began on Sunday, represent a sharp escalation in fighting, as Port Sudan had remained untouched by ground or air attacks until this week.

The war between the army and RSF erupted in April 2023 when a dispute over a transition to civilian government triggered a power struggle between the two parties.

The conflict has displaced more than 12 million people in Sudan and pushed half the population into acute hunger.

(Source: Reuters and other news agencies)