Thousands of Port Sudan residents flee as RSF drones target civilian areas

The eastern Sudanese city of Port Sudan has been under heavy drone bombardment by the Rapid Support Forces rebel militia for one week.

The relentless strikes have targeted both military and civilian sites, including the international airport, fuel depots, the power station, and the Flamingo naval base.

Homes and hotels have also been hit, causing panic among residents, thousands of whom have fled areas of the city targeted by the RSF. Many of the city’s current residents have fled there from other cities and are now being displaced for the second or third time.

Smoke from fires which started in the fuel depots and electricity plant because of the attacks covered the city for days, but on Sunday firefighters said they had brought them under control.

Sudanese government agencies moved to Port Sudan after a devastating war broke out in the country in April 2023 between the RSF, which is led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (commonly known as Hemedti) and the regular Sudanese army.

The war has seen fierce fighting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, although the Sudanese army recently managed to gain full control of the city.

One resident of Port Sudan told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, “We were living a normal life and now we’re afraid of everything. The drone strikes are happening without any warning and are causing great destruction. We are afraid for out lives because the drones often make mistakes in their targeting.”

Medical sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that hospitals had reported ten deaths, some as a direct result of attacks. The others were of people who had chronic illnesses who were affected by the smoke enveloping the city.

Amid the ongoing bombing, some districts of the city, including the upscale Airport and Transit districts, which contain headquarters of government agencies and regional and international organisations, have been emptied of their inhabitants.

Many people now want to leave the city.

Altoum Ali, who was displaced from the Transit area, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: "I fled with family of nine to a remote area to escape the drones. We're staying with a friend in a small house in an area without services. If the drone strikes don’t stop, we’ll move out of Port Sudan altogether."

Electricity to Port Sudan has been completely cut off since last Tuesday. It was previously rationed for six hours every other day.

This has severely affected the water supply and now a barrel of water costs 30 dollars. The prices of many other basic commodities, including cooking gas and basic foodstuffs have also risen sharply.

Local residents say authorities have not provided them with any help or guidance to keep themselves safe.

They have ordered the closure of small shops and cafes and banned street vendors from operating. Residents have complained that this means they do not have access to food.

Fadwa Al-Tayeb, a displaced woman from Omdurman, described the situation in Port Sudan as catastrophic.

She told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: "What the RSF is doing is a curse on us, especially for the displaced. I’m now displaced for the fourth time since the war began. First from Omdurman to Wad Madani, then to Singa - the capital of the [southeastern] state of Sennar - and finally to Port Sudan—and now I’m forced to flee again."