Sudan: Port Sudan Drone Attacks - a Call to Protect Civilian Infrastructure - Statement By the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami

Families gathering in ZamZam refugee camp in Sudan before the RSF attack (file photo).

I am shocked and deeply concerned by intensifying drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Port Sudan, the main humanitarian hub within Sudan. In the early morning hours of 6 May 2025, drone attacks reportedly targeted the Port Sudan International Airport and other infrastructure - including a fuel storage facility and a power transformer - in Port Sudan.

Such attacks will deepen humanitarian suffering and needs, as well as exacerbate the already severe access and logistical challenges that humanitarian actors face in the delivery of urgently needed aid to the rest of the country.

The Port Sudan International Airport is a lifeline for humanitarian operations, serving as the primary entry point for aid personnel, medical supplies, and other life-saving relief into Sudan. Moreover, the availability of fuel in Port Sudan is critical to the dispatch of humanitarian supplies to areas across Sudan in dire need of assistance. Damage to critical infrastructure could also disrupt supply chains and increase the price of basic goods, further exacerbating human suffering in what is already the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

These latest strikes follow a series of drone attacks over the past days on civilian infrastructure in Port Sudan and Kassala, cities that have largely represented safe locations for civilians who have been displaced multiple times throughout this devastating conflict. Recent attacks on the Kassala Airport in eastern Sudan has forced displaced individuals - who had sought refuge in a gathering site near the airport - to move once again.

Since January 2025, attacks on infrastructure such as power stations, water sub-stations, and oil refineries across the country have caused widespread electricity outages and disrupted access to essential rights and services, including safe drinking water for civilians, healthcare and food supplies.

These attacks are serious violations of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. They reflect a consistent failure to comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.

Every measure must be taken to spare civilians and civilian objects.

Once again, I call on all those involved in this conflict to cease hostilities.

Read the original article on OCHA.

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