Moscow condemns drone strikes in African state
Russia has denounced drone strikes on civilian infrastructure in Sudan's main port city on the Red Sea, calling for dialogue, an immediate cessation of hostilities, and an end to the two-year-long war between the African country's rival military forces.
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched airstrikes on Port Sudan on Sunday. According to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the attack caused damage to an ammunition storage facility at the Osman Digna military air base and nearby buildings.
This marked the first RSF assault on the Red Sea State capital since April 2023, when the conflict erupted between the paramilitary group and the national army amid a power struggle between their leaders.
The UN says over 12.4 million people have been displaced, with half the country's population facing acute hunger. More than 3.3 million have fled to neighboring countries, and a recent study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimated the death toll in Khartoum state alone could exceed 60,000.
In a statement on Monday, Moscow expressed 'deep concern over the ongoing bloody armed confrontation' between the SAF and the RSF.
'Russia considers it unacceptable to carry out strikes on civilian infrastructure and advocates strict compliance with international humanitarian law,' the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.
It called on the warring parties to intensify diplomatic efforts for an 'inter-Sudanese dialogue without outside interference, which should result in the establishment of lasting peace in the country, preserving its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.'
Port Sudan, long considered the safest part of the country and home to Sudan's main airport, military headquarters, and seaport, had become a de facto administrative capital amid the devastation of the national capital, Khartoum, and other cities.
The escalation comes days after the RSF seized the city of El-Nuhud in West Kordofan on May 1, killing at least three health workers, including the medical director of the city's hospital, according to the Sudan Doctors Syndicate. The group also claimed on Saturday to have taken control of Al-Khowei, another city in the same region.
Earlier, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo warned that the war is far from over after the army recaptured the paramilitary group's positions in Khartoum in March.
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