Are Sudan's Paramilitary Forces Escalating Drone Attacks?

Khartoum, May 6 (NationPress) The paramilitary group in Sudan, known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has ramped up its drone assaults on regions under the control of the Sudanese army, an alarming shift that military analysts describe as a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.

For the second day in a row, a fleet of drones, purportedly launched by the RSF, has targeted critical infrastructure in Port Sudan, the capital city of the eastern Red Sea State.

Since May 2023, this port city has been functioning as the temporary capital of Sudan, hosting both the government and various diplomatic missions.

“Drones hit the fuel storage facilities in the city early in the morning, resulting in powerful explosions, raging fires, and dense clouds of smoke,” an observer relayed to the Xinhua news agency.

Videos circulated by activists depicted civil defense teams battling the flames to prevent further damage to additional storage sites. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported at this time.

Upon visiting the affected area, Energy Minister Mohieddin Naeem Mohamed Saeed condemned the attack as “a terrorist act” aimed at sabotaging the largest fuel reserves in the Red Sea State.

The minister labeled these attacks as part of a systematic campaign by the militia against public services and civilian infrastructure, which is directly impacting the lives of ordinary citizens.

This incident occurred just a day after RSF drones targeted a military airbase, a cargo storage facility, and civilian structures in Port Sudan, marking the first assault on the city since the onset of armed conflict in mid-April 2023.

On the same day, a military source informed Xinhua that the army's air defense successfully intercepted a swarm of drones that aimed at Kassala Airport, the capital of Kassala State in eastern Sudan. This city has faced drone attacks for three successive days, according to the source.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported that around 5 a.m. local time (0300 GMT), four drones attempted to target Kassala Airport but were effectively neutralized by ground defenses, with no damages reported.

Governor Al-Sadiq Mohamed Al-Azraq of Kassala State expressed to the media on Monday that “Kassala city is encountering escalating threats from drones,” urging national leaders to take action to protect the airport.

Meanwhile, local media noted a new drone strike on the Merowe Dam in northern Sudan late on Sunday, although this has not been officially confirmed.

Activists also shared posts and images of drone assaults on the headquarters of the army's Fifth Infantry Division in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State. The army has not yet responded to these allegations.

Since the Sudanese army regained control over most of the capital, Khartoum, in March, the RSF has increased drone attacks on significant targets in army-held territories.

Military experts suggest that the RSF now possesses sophisticated drones capable of bypassing ground-based air defenses, cautioning that the surge in RSF's firepower and its capacity for long-range strikes could further extend and escalate the ongoing conflict.

The devastating struggle between the army and the RSF has, to date, resulted in tens of thousands of fatalities and displaced millions of individuals both domestically and internationally.