Paramilitary RSF attacks leave Port Sudan without power

Drone strikes have hit a major power station in Port Sudan on Tuesday, causing “a complete power outage” in the eastern Sudanese city, the country’s electricity provider told the BBC. 

The barrage occurred as the paramilitary RSF continue to heighten attacks on Port Sudan, after launching their first strikes on the city this weekend.

The RSF unleashed drones on other key targets early Tuesday. One drone hit the civilian part of the city’s international airport, causing flights to be cancelled.  Another drone hit an army base in the city centre and a third one struck a fuel depot near the port.

Witnesses say a hotel located close to the residence of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was also hit in the attack.  There were no reported casualties.

Sudan Information Minister Khalid Aleiser visited the southern part of the port, where fuel tanks were reportedly hit. He slammed the United Arab Emirates, saying it was arming the RSF. The UAE rejected the accusation and condemned the attacks. 

The RSF is targeting Port Sudan for the third day in a row. The city had previously been spared in Sudan's two-year war. 

On Sunday, strikes hit the military part of the airport, followed by the targeting of fuel depots on Monday. In both cases, military sources blamed the RSF. The paramilitary has not commented on the attacks.  

The United Nations has temporarily suspended all aid flights in and out of Port Sudan but maintains regular aid operations. "None of our offices, premises or warehouses have been impacted, and we continue to carry out our regular operations", said Farhan Haq, the UN deputy spokesperson.

The city was once seen as a safe haven for displaced people. It had become the de facto seat of the army-aligned government since the RSF first invaded Khartoum two years ago.  

The city also welcomed hundreds of thousands of displaced people. The recent attacks are likely to worsen the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. 

Two years into the war, the army has succeeded in pushing the RSF out of most of central Sudan, and the paramilitary has shifted tactics from ground incursions to drone attacks.