Port Sudan Drone Attacks Threaten Humanitarian Aid and Refugees
Noriko Watanabe and Sawako Utsumi
Modern Tokyo Times
Secretary-General António Guterres of the United Nations (UN) is alarmed by the growing menace of drone attacks against Port Sudan.
Hence, with Port Sudan being important for humanitarian relief efforts and hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees in the environs of this part of Sudan, the UN and other agencies are alarmed by the menace of drone strikes.
UN News reports, “The city is a main entry point for relief supplies, hosting airports and direct access to the Red Sea. It is also a shelter for hundreds of thousands of displaced people and the seat of government after generals lost control of the capital Khartoum to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).”
Drone strikes also menace other parts of Sudan. This includes the states of the River Nile and Kassala. However, special attention is directed to recent events concerning Port Sudan.
Guterres said, “All parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
He continued, “They must not direct attacks against civilians and civilian objects; must take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event to minimize, incidental civilian casualties; and must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need.”
However, events on the ground are very different. Accordingly, the RSF has especially been singled out for ethnic massacres against several black African ethnic groups in Darfur and in other parts of Sudan.
RSF forces are utilizing drones to a higher degree in the environs of Port Sudan. This reality exists after the RSF lost ground to government forces in Khartoum two months ago.
AFP reports, “Nearly all humanitarian aid into Sudan, where famine has already been declared and nearly 25 million people are suffering dire food insecurity, arrives in Port Sudan.”
The armed forces of Sudan blame the United Arab Emirates for backing the RSF – including the drone angle.
The African Union said the ongoing attack on Port Sudan represents “a dangerous escalation” in wartorn Sudan and it is “a direct threat to the lives of civilians, humanitarian access and regional stability.”
The International Rescue Committee reports, “The conflict in Sudan has decimated the country’s public infrastructure, including the health system. The health care system is suffering from an acute lack of staff, funding and medical supplies in addition to repeated attacks, looting and occupation of medical facilities and hospitals. More than 70 percent of health facilities are currently non-functional.”
Modern Tokyo Times recently said: “The United Nations (UN) singled out the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and various allies for committing horrendous crimes against non-Arabs in Darfur and South Kordofan. It is known that non-Arab Masalits were especially singled out in Darfur (other non-Arab groups targeted) – while in South Kordofan, the African Nuba are singled out.”
The latest drone attacks against Port Sudan are adding more pressure to a nation blighted by war, ethnic massacres, food insecurity, and other dire realities.
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