Rapid Support Forces Drone Attacks Hit Port Sudan Airport, Kill Kenyan Pilot, Spur Refugee Flight; UN and US Express Concern

Sudan has experienced a series of drone attacks primarily targeting the Port Sudan International Airport and the adjacent maritime port, resulting in large explosions and fires. These attacks, attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have caused extensive damage to fuel storage facilities and disrupted flight operations, leading to the suspension of arrivals and departures. The conflict has expanded into Port Sudan, a strategic city on the Red Sea that had remained relatively unaffected until recently. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern over these drone strikes, highlighting the risks to civilian safety and humanitarian aid efforts. The attacks have also targeted a hotel near the temporary presidential palace in Port Sudan. Concurrently, Sudanese military airstrikes in South Darfur killed a Kenyan pilot at Nyala International Airport. The escalation has triggered a refugee crisis, with more than 18,500 Sudanese fleeing to eastern Chad in the past two weeks amid ongoing violence, robbery, and extortion along the routes. The UN Refugee Agency has reported that many refugees, including vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and pregnant women, suffer from trauma and malnutrition. The United States Embassy in Sudan condemned the drone attacks on vital infrastructure, describing them as a serious escalation of the conflict. Sudanese military spokespersons stated that their air defense systems successfully intercepted drones targeting the naval base in Port Sudan. Analysts view the drone strikes as a significant strategic development in Sudan's civil war, expanding the geographic scope of the conflict and complicating efforts to deliver humanitarian aid.