Port Sudan Drone Strikes Hit Flamingo Naval Base; Sudan Cuts UAE Ties, UNHAS Flights Suspended, $500M Damage

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Updated May 9, 2025, 06:21 AM

Port Sudan, Sudan's de facto capital and main humanitarian hub, has come under sustained drone attacks since May 4, 2025. The Sudanese army has attributed these strikes to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group engaged in a civil war with the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023. The RSF has not claimed responsibility for the attacks. The drone strikes have targeted critical infrastructure, including the Flamingo naval base, Osman Digna Air Base, the international airport, fuel depots, a power plant, and a hotel near the residence of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The attacks have resulted in fires, a power outage, and the closure of key facilities, including the suspension of UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights since May 4. Damage to fuel depots alone is estimated at $500 million. Bread and fuel shortages have been reported, and at least five children were killed in a related drone attack in Omdurman. Attacks have also been reported in Kassala and River Nile states. Sudan's government has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of sponsoring the RSF and, in response to the escalation, announced the severance of diplomatic ties with the UAE. The UAE has denied these allegations and rejected Sudan's decision to break relations. The diplomatic move followed the International Court of Justice's dismissal of a Sudanese case accusing the UAE of complicity in genocide. The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have expressed grave concern over the escalation, warning that attacks on Port Sudan threaten to worsen Sudan's already dire humanitarian crisis. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure safe passage for aid. Aid flights have been suspended, and civil aviation fees have been lost due to airport closures. The drone attacks have expanded violence into previously safe areas and further complicated efforts to deliver relief. The ongoing war has killed thousands, displaced millions, and left over half the population in need of humanitarian assistance.

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