Militia drone strikes target Port Sudan's container terminal

The destruction of fuel facilities and damage to the airport and port risked intensifying Sudan's humanitarian crisis, which the UN calls the world's worst, by throttling aid deliveries by road and hitting power output and cooking gas supplies.

Port Sudan had enjoyed relative calm since the civil war between the army and the RSF suddenly erupted in April 2023. The Red Sea city became the base for the army-aligned government after the RSF swept through much of the capital, Khartoum, at the start of the conflict.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people have also sought refuge in the city, where UN officials, diplomats and agencies have also set up headquarters, making it the main base for aid operations.

Inside Port Sudan, the attack on the electricity substation led to a power outage across the city while army units deployed around public buildings, the witness said.

Momentum in the conflict has repeatedly swung back and forth but neither side has looked likely to win outright.