Drone strikes target Kosti port, shelling resumes in El Fasher
May 17, 2024 (KOSTI/EL-FASHER) – Unidentified drones attacked the Kosti, White Nile State river transport port. Simultaneously, fierce clashes continued between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State.
Local sources reported at least two drones targeted the Kosti port, located approximately 270 kilometres south of Khartoum. Eyewitnesses described hearing explosions and seeing thick smoke rise from the site. One police officer was injured in the incident.
Neither local authorities in White Nile State nor the warring parties have provided any official statements regarding the drone attack. However, this incident marks a continuation of a trend observed over the past month and a half, where cities under army control have been targeted by unidentified drones. Notably, similar attacks have occurred in Atbara, Gedaref, Shendi, Merowe, and Dongola.
Meanwhile, in El Fasher, artillery shelling resumed on Friday, with the RSF heavily bombarding southern neighbourhoods. Intermittent clashes also erupted between the army, allied armed struggle movements, and the RSF east of the city.
The ongoing fighting in El Fasher has tragically resulted in the deaths of over 50 civilians in the past week. Grave concerns are rising for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people who sought refuge in the city, fleeing violence elsewhere in the Darfur region.
Incident involving Islamist militia leader in Eastern Sudan
On Friday, a road accident involving a four-wheel drive vehicle carrying Al-Misbah Abu Zaid, commander of the Islamist Al-Baraa Bin Malik battalion, occurred on the Khashm El-Girba – Kassala road in eastern Sudan. The accident resulted in two fatalities and several injuries.
According to the police press office, a tyre explosion caused the vehicle to overturn in the Al-Shawak area. Among the injured was Al-Misbah Abu Zaid, who was taken to Kassala Hospital for treatment along with eight others. He later appeared at the funeral of one of the deceased.
The Al-Baraa Bin Malik battalion is an Islamist fighting force allied with the Sudanese army.