Sudan cuts ties with UAE amid port Sudan drone assaults
Fires continued to burn across Port Sudan on May 6 following three consecutive days of drone attacks that have heavily damaged key infrastructure and deepened the country’s internal crisis.
In response, Sudan’s army-aligned government announced it was severing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which it holds responsible for the strikes.
The attacks began early May 3 morning and have turned Port Sudan, Sudan’s de facto capital and the current seat of the government into a conflict zone. While the RSF has not claimed responsibility, the Sudanese army claims the drones used in the attacks match those previously purchased by the UAE. The UAE, meanwhile, has denied involvement and condemned the violence.
The first wave of attacks targeted Port Sudan’s international airport, damaging its roof and forcing a shutdown. Although briefly reopened on May 4, the airport was closed again after renewed strikes the following day. The nearby Osman Digna air base was also hit.
The assault continued with drone strikes on a major fuel depot 20 kilometres outside the city. The resulting fire remained active as of Tuesday, and further drone attacks ignited the port’s fuel storage facility. Port workers said the southern terminal, its container terminal, has shut down completely.
Port Sudan’s main power station was also struck, leaving the entire city without electricity. One of the blasts damaged the Marina Hotel, which hosts foreign diplomats and is near the offices of army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The attacks have brought daily life in Port Sudan to a halt. Most schools are closed, long queues have formed for fuel, and bakeries have shut down due to the lack of power and supplies. The city is currently hosting around 500,000 displaced people who have fled violence elsewhere in the country.
Government officials said that damage to fuel infrastructure alone is estimated at more than $500 million.
The Sudanese Security and Defence Council announced on May 6 that the country was cutting diplomatic ties with the UAE, one day after the International Court of Justice dismissed Sudan’s case accusing the UAE of genocide complicity.
Human rights advocates criticized the court’s decision. Mutasim Ali of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights said the ruling failed to stop what he described as an ongoing genocide, warning that both the RSF and its alleged foreign backers would now act with even greater impunity.
“While there remains hope in exploring alternative accountability strategies, the RSF and the UAE will now continue to commit egregious atrocities, without the immediate prospect of intervention," Mutasim said.
