RSF drone strike hits strategic fuel depots in Port Sudan, causing fire
May 5, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – A drone strike blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit strategic fuel depots in Port Sudan, Sudan’s temporary administrative capital, on Monday, causing large explosions and fires, witnesses and officials said.
The affected depots represent some of the largest fuel storage facilities in the country.
The attack on the Red Sea coast city came a day after drones hit the Osman Digna air base and Port Sudan’s airport, damaging a warehouse and briefly halting airport operations, according to earlier reports.
Eyewitnesses told the Sudan Tribune news outlet that a drone, which they believed was launched by the RSF, targeted the depots early Monday morning. Witnesses reported large explosions and thick plumes of smoke rising from the site. Videos shared online appeared to show significant damage.
Civil defence crews were dispatched to the scene to battle the blaze and prevent it from spreading further, officials said.
Top police and civil defence officials, including Red Sea State Police Director Major General Dafallah Taha Ahmed, later inspected the firefighting efforts, according to police statements.
Minister of Energy and Oil Mohi Eddin Naim Mohamed Saeed, who also visited the site, condemned the attack, calling it a “terrorist” act aimed at destroying vital infrastructure. He said crews were working to control the fire, which officials stated started in gasoline storage and spread to adjacent fuel tanks.
No casualties were immediately reported, according to the minister and follow-up reports from the Red Sea State Police media unit. Efforts were ongoing to prevent a wider environmental or humanitarian impact, the police unit added.
Saeed accused the RSF, which the government refers to as militias, of systematically targeting civilian facilities to disrupt citizens’ lives.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Djibouti and the African Union condemned the attacks on Port Sudan.
Monday’s drone strike marks the first such attack reported on Port Sudan since the current conflict began. The Red Sea city became the temporary seat of government after fighting caused widespread destruction in the capital, Khartoum.