Sudan accuses UAE of coordinated drone attacks on Port Sudan

PORT SUDAN – Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of orchestrating a wave of drone attacks on key civilian infrastructure in Port Sudan over the past 72 hours.

In an official statement released on Tuesday, the ministry described the strikes as “act of international terrorism” and a “deliberate assault on Sudan’s sovereignty”.

The Ministry said the attacks targeted critical facilities, including the city’s international airport, strategic fuel depots, a section of the Bashayer Port, and a hotel housing foreign diplomats and international guests.

Port Sudan currently serves as the country’s main humanitarian hub, hosting diplomatic mission, United Nations agencies, and being home to Sudan’s principle seaport and second- largest international airport.

According to the statement, the attacks were carried out using advanced drones and weaponry that “are only accessible to specific state,” the government claims to possess verified intelligence regarding the origin and type of weapons used and promised to disclose further details in due course.

“These terrorist attacks constitute an act of outright aggression and international terrorism, and represent a continuation of systematic attempt to dismantle the Sudanese state,” the ministry said.

The statement suggested the escalation marks a shift in strategy by those backing Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing them of resorting to “direct intervention and acts of terrorism” after failing to achieve their objectives through proxy warfare.

The ministry directly named the UAE as the state behind the operation, describing its involvement as a “foreign terrorist aggression” it added that the Sudanese people, under the leadership of the national army and allied forces, had successfully resisted what it called “the largest foreign invasion in the country’s history,” despite facing state-of-the-art weapons, foreign mercenaries, and collaborators from across the globe.

Sudan’s government reaffirmed its right to defend itself and its citizens” by all means necessary,” and called on international institutions to respond to the escalating threat.

“We urge the United Nations Security Council, the African Union, the Arab League, and all the members of international community to uphold their responsibilities in confronting this blatant act of international  terrorism and addressing the grave threat it poses to regional and global security,” the statement concluded.

The alleged attacks come amid the ongoing civil conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, which began in April 2023 and has since plunged the country into a humanitarian catastrophe. Port Sudan, located in the Red Sea State, has served as a de facto administrative capital for the SAF-led government since the outbreak of fighting in Khartoum.

The UAE has not yet responded to the allegations, if confirmed, the attacks would mark a dangerous new phase in Sudan’s war, potentially drawing in more regional actors and complicating diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful resolution.