Sudan says Port Sudan oil depot fires controlled after suspected RSF attack

May 11, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s Civil Defence forces said on Sunday they had controlled fires at oil depots in Port Sudan, days after an alleged attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while the army reported intercepting drones in two cities.

Lieutenant General Othman Al-Atta, director of Sudan’s Civil Defence, said in a statement that his forces had contained the blazes that erupted at strategic storage facilities and other sites in the Red Sea city. He attributed the fires to targeting by the RSF.

The fires had burned since last Tuesday at strategic fuel depots and privately-owned warehouses, forcing some residents in the nearby Transit neighbourhood to evacuate due to heavy smoke, authorities said. Sudanese authorities have accused the RSF of using drones to target military and civilian installations in Port Sudan.

“All fires at the strategic depots and various locations in Port Sudan have been completely brought under control,” Al-Atta stated, noting the “extremely complex conditions due to the large quantities of stored petroleum products.” He added that firefighting teams deployed high-expansion foam according to a precise plan.

Separately, Sudanese army anti-aircraft defences engaged drones over Port Sudan and the northern city of Atbara on Sunday morning, eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune.

RSF drones were reportedly sighted over Port Sudan, the country’s acting capital, for the seventh consecutive day, with the army stating its air defences intercepted them.

In Atbara, a major city in River Nile state, anti-aircraft units reportedly engaged five drones near the city’s airport.

The RSF has increasingly relied on drone attacks in its conflict with the Sudanese army, targeting army-controlled cities in Northern, River Nile, Red Sea, Kosti, and White Nile states.