Sudan's paramilitary launches drone attacks on wartime capital

Sudan's paramilitary has launched drone strikes on targets including the airport, the port and a hotel in the country's wartime capital.

Port Sudan, which has been a destination for those fleeing the two-year war in Sudan, has been targeted for the second time this week. Footage of the aftermath of the attacks shows raging fires and clouds of black smoke billowing into the sky.

The extent of the damage and whether there are any casualties is not yet known. Port Sudan, which currently serves as the seat for Sudan's military-allied government, was struck by the drones of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) early on Tuesday morning, according to two Sudanese military officials.

Khalid Aleiser, Sudan's information minister, visited the southern part of the Red Sea city's port, where he said fuel tanks were hit in the attack. The drone attacks appear to have disrupted air traffic at Port Sudan's airport, with three flights from Cairo, in neighbouring Egypt, cancelled on Tuesday.

It comes after the RSF hit Port Sudan on Sunday, also disrupting air traffic from the airport, which has served as the main entry point to the country and a safe haven for refugees since the war broke out two years ago. The city is 500 miles (800km) to the east of the capital Khartoum, where the battles between the military-allied government and the RSF initially raged before spreading to other parts of the country.

People fled to Port Sudan to find refuge from the fighting, with aid missions and UN agencies also moving their offices there. The RSF is allied with the United Arab Emirates, which has provided weapons, including drones, to the paramilitary, according to UN experts.

The UAE denies this claim. Read more from Sky News:State of panic growing in Sudan's wartime capital amid drone strikesDrone attacks in Sudan are hitting schools and camps housing the displaced The Sudanese military-allied government is backed by Egypt.

Tensions between the military and RSF escalated into an all-out war in April 2023. At least 24,000 people have been killed and more than 13 million people have been forced to flee their homes, with four million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries..