Fires at key Sudan fuel depot ‘fully contained', say civil defence forces
The fires were caused by a drone strike on the fuel depot last Monday. (Planet Labs PBC/AP pic)
PORT SUDAN : Sudan's civil defence forces said on Sunday they had 'fully contained' fires that erupted at the main fuel depot and other strategic sites in Port Sudan – the seat of the army-backed government which has come under drone attacks blamed on paramilitaries over the past week.
In a statement posted on the force's Facebook page, civil defence director Osman Atta said the fires – involving 'large quantities of petroleum reserves' – were brought under control following an intensive operation using 'foam materials' and a 'meticulously executed plan'.
The fires caused by a strike on the fuel depot last Monday had spread across 'warehouses filled with fuel', the Sudanese army-aligned authorities said, warning of a 'potential disaster in the area'.
The Red Sea port city, which had been seen as a safe haven from the devastating two-year conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has been hit by daily drone strikes since last Sunday.
The long-range attacks have damaged several key facilities, including the country's sole international civilian airport, its largest working fuel depot and the city's main power station.
A military source told AFP on condition of anonymity on Saturday that air defences in the towns of Jebeit and Sinkat – around 120km west of Port Sudan – shot down two drones that had been targeting facilities in the area.
Witnesses also reported on Sunday drone strikes targeting the airport in Atbara, a city in the northern state of River Nile.
Port Sudan is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the attacks 'threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country', his spokesman said.
More than two years of fighting have killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million in what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
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