Sudan’s paramilitary unleashes drones on key targets in Port Sudan, officials say

RSF drones attack Port Sudan, disrupting air traffic and causing fires, highlighting ongoing military tensions in Sudan.

Sudan’s paramilitary unleashed drones on the Red Sea city of Port Sudan early on Tuesday (May 6, 2025), hitting key targets there, including the airport, the port and a hotel, military officials said. The barrage was the second such attack this week on a city that had been a hub for people fleeing Sudan's two-year war.

There was no immediate word on any casualties or the extent of the damage. Local media reported loud sound of explosions and fires at the port and the airport. Footage circulating online showed thick smoke rising over the area.

The attack on Port Sudan, which also serves as an interim seat for Sudan's military-allied government, underscores that after two years of fighting, the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are still capable of threatening each other’s territory.

The RSF drones struck early in the morning, said two Sudanese military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Abdel-Rahman al-Nour, a Port Sudan resident, said he woke up to strong explosions, and saw fires and plumes of black smoke rising over the port. Msha’ashir Ahmed, a local journalist living in Port Sudan, said fires were still burning late on Tuesday (May 6, 2025), morning in the southern vicinity of the maritime port.

The attack apparently disrupted air traffic at the airport, with Cairo airport data in neighboring Egypt showing that three Port Sudan-bound flights were cancelled on Tuesday (May 6, 2025).

The RSF did not release any statements on the attack. On Sunday (May 4, 2025), the paramilitary force struck Port Sudan for the first time in the war, disrupting air traffic in the city’s airport, which has been the main entry point for the county in the last two years.