Khartoum accuses UAE of direct involvement in drone strikes on Port Sudan

Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of carrying out a drone attack on the war-time administrative capital of Port Sudan earlier this month.

Speaking in New York on Monday, Khartoum's ambassador to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss, alleged the operation was launched from a UAE military base with support from Emirati naval vessels in the Red Sea.

It is the first time that Sudan has accused the Gulf state of direct military intervention in its civil war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Idriss also claimed that the 4 May strike on Port Sudan was revenge for an army attack a day earlier on an alleged Emirati warplane in the RSF-controlled city of Nyala.

Khartoum recently cut diplomatic ties with the UAE, accusing it of arming and funding the rebel group in the deadly war, which is in its third year.

The UAE has denied the accusation and did not immediately comment on this latest statement.

Up until now, Port Sudan has been seen as a safe haven for government officials, diplomats, and humanitarian organisations.

But since the start of the month, it has been hit with a volley of drone strikes, largely against army facilities, the main airport, and fuel depots.

The Sudanese government is now calling on the United Nations, the African Union, and the Arab League to investigate the incident and hold accountable those responsible.

The war between the army and the RSF was triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian rule.

It has devastated Sudan, pushing more than 13 million people out of their homes and spreading famine and disease.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese have died in the fighting.