Amid intensifying civil conflict in Sudan, a series of explosions and fires erupted early Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Port Sudan, according to a witness. While the specific sources and targets of the blasts remain unclear, the events mark a troubling escalation in violence in a city that had, until recently, remained largely untouched by the fighting.
Thick black smoke was observed rising from areas near Sudan’s primary maritime port, situated in a city that has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict.
The ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has precipitated what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The attacks on Port Sudan threaten to deepen this crisis, especially as the city houses the operational bases of U.N. officials, foreign diplomats, aid agencies, and government ministries aligned with the military.
A witness reported that a prominent hotel located near the residence of General Abdelfattah al-Burhan, the country’s military leader, was struck during the attack.
The outbreak of violence, which began on Sunday, represents a significant turning point. “The Red Sea coastal city had remained untouched by ground or air attacks until this week,” the witness said.
On Sunday, a military base close to Sudan’s only functioning international airport came under drone attack. This was followed on Monday by strikes on the city’s fuel depots. Military officials attributed both incidents to the RSF, though the group has not claimed responsibility. These attacks occurred shortly after the army reported it had destroyed aircraft and weapons stockpiles at RSF-controlled Nyala Airport.
The escalation in Port Sudan has drawn swift condemnation. Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia denounced the violence, and the United Nations issued statements expressing deep concern over the worsening situation.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating war between the army and the RSF, rooted in a dispute over the country’s transition to civilian governance. The conflict has displaced more than 12 million people and pushed half the population into acute food insecurity, according to U.N. reports.
Two years into the conflict, government forces have managed to reclaim much of central Sudan, prompting the RSF to shift strategy from ground offensives to aerial drone strikes aimed at infrastructure, including power stations, within army-held territory.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese army has maintained its aerial campaign in the Darfur region—an RSF stronghold. Intense ground battles continue across various fronts, particularly in and around al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state, as both sides dig into increasingly entrenched zones of control.
