Drone Strikes Spark Civilian Exodus From Army-controlled Sudan Aid Hub

Workneh Gebeyehuexecutive secretary

Any assault on this critical hub further compounds human suffering and impedes the delivery of urgently needed assistance,

IGAD executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said in a statement

Now, we have to buy fuel on the black market,

said tuk-tuk driver Abdel-Meguid Babiker

You can't get a ticket without booking over a day in advance now, all the buses are booked,

said bus company employee Mahmoud Hussein

The militia launched another drone attack on the Flamingo Naval Base north of Port Sudan,

one source told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the regular army since April 2023

The militia targeted the fuel depots that supply the state with three drones, causing fires to break out,

the source told AFP on condition of anonymity

The smoke is everywhere and my wife suffers from asthma,

he told AFP

I see a huge cloud and fire going like all around the city... and I heard also now that they were like two more loud bangs. It looks quite apocalyptic,

a journalist, Cristina Karrer, told the BBC's Newsday program

None of our offices, premises or warehouses have been impacted, and we continue to carry out our regular operations,

Haq added

The entire world has witnessed, for more than two years, the crime of aggression against Sudan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the safety of its citizens by the UAE, acting through its local proxy, the terrorist RSF militia,

Ibrahim said

We will continue our legitimate battle,

he said

Abdel Fattah al-Burhanthe residence of army chief

Every destruction of civil or military structures will only increase the people’s strength and cohesion,

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese army, said in a speech in front of a billowing smoke cloud coming from the port

Yesterday and today just confirm to us that this war will follow us no matter where we go,

said Hussein Ibrahim, 64, who has fled RSF attacks on his hometown in Al-Jazira state, about 1,000 kilometers away

The sound of the explosion was terrifying, it's caused us to panic,

said Soad Babiker, 45, who had also fled the violence in Al-Jazira

It's us, the citizens, that they're targeting,

Mohamed Ahmed Karar, 57, told AFP, referring to the RSF, at war with the regular army since April 2023

They hit everything that benefits civilians."

Another resident, Salem Omar Ibrahim, said

Panic is setting in, people are terrified,

Port Sudan native Sami Hussein Abdel Wahab told AFP as smoke billowed behind him

These assaults have caused widespread fires, heavy smoke over residential areas, and flight cancellations, further endangering the lives and wellbeing of thousands of innocent civilians”.

They said

I assure our steadfast Sudanese people that the civil defense forces and all security agencies are performing their duties to the fullest, and that the will of the Sudanese people will remain unbreakable,

Mr. Aleisir said in another post that showed him standing in front of a giant plume of smoke

I will not be displaced for another time,

he said ... adding that

They are both destroying the country’s infrastructure, and eventually, only a destroyed and empty country will remain,

he said