Latest news with #Kosti
Associated Press
08-05-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Action Against Hunger Minimizes Harm of Cholera Outbreaks in Sudan
As of 24 February, at least 11 of the 18 states in Sudan were simultaneously experiencing three or more outbreaks of different diseases, such as cholera, dengue, malaria, measles, and diphtheria. In March 2025, approximately 300,000 people in Kosti, White Nile - one of the states experiencing a severe cholera outbreak - were at risk of cholera. As cholera surged across Sudan - reaching up to 400 daily cases in Kosti City alone - Action Against Hunger, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, launched a rapid, targeted response. In just one month (Dec 2024–Jan 2025), we reduced suspected cases by 47% and brought deaths from 33 to zero. Thanks to swift action, lives were saved - but the crisis is far from over. Wider global funding cuts from key donors like the U.S. and EU are stretching humanitarian resources across Sudan. While our cholera response drew on other funding sources, these cuts are placing immense pressure on the entire humanitarian system—making it harder to prepare for the fast-approaching rainy season and respond to future outbreaks. *** Action Against Hunger works in White Nile, Blue Nile, South Kordofan, and Central Darfur. Despite difficult security conditions, our teams continue to provide food assistance, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene services, as well as cash-based interventions for food and agricultural items. Last year, our health and nutrition interventions reached over 180,000 people and supported 44 health facilities and 7 hospitals. An estimated 24.8 million people are in need of assistance with hundreds of thousands facing famine-like conditions. The crisis has been compounded by the civil war, which erupted in April 2023 and has devastated infrastructure, health services, agricultural land, and access to clean water and sanitation services.
Jordan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Drone strikes spark civilian exodus from army-controlled Sudan aid hub
A man watches as smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025 (AFP photo) PORT SUDAN — Paramilitary drones struck army-held areas of eastern and southern Sudan for a fifth straight day Thursday, army sources said, prompting an exodus of civilians from Port Sudan, seat of the army-backed government. Attacks targeted the country's main naval base outside Port Sudan, as well as fuel depots in the southern city of Kosti, two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The militia launched another drone attack on the Flamingo Naval Base north of Port Sudan," one source told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the regular army since April 2023. Explosions were heard across the city, an AFP correspondent reported. Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast had been regarded as a safe haven, hosting United Nations offices and hundreds of thousands of displaced people, until drone strikes blamed on the RSF began on Sunday. The port city 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 Stephane Dujarric said. Nearly 1,100 kilometres to the southwest, in the army-controlled city of Kosti in White Nile state, RSF drones struck fuel depots, setting off massive fires, a military source said. "The militia targeted the fuel depots that supply the state with three drones, causing fires to break out," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. There were no immediate reports of any casualties. More than two years of war have killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million, according to UN figures. 'No choice but to leave' RSF drone strikes on Port Sudan this week hit key facilities including the country's last functioning international airport, its largest working fuel depot and the city's main power station. An army source said air defences had shot down 15 drones over the city overnight. At Port Sudan's bustling main bus station, civilians were scrambling to leave. "You can't get a ticket without booking over a day in advance now, all the buses are booked," said bus company employee Mahmoud Hussein. Among those fleeing was Haidar Ibrahim, preparing to travel south with his family. "The smoke is everywhere and my wife suffers from asthma," he told AFP. "We have no choice but to leave." Many of those who had sought refuge in Port Sudan have been displaced multiple times before, fleeing each time the front line closed in. Transport costs have nearly doubled as a result of fuel shortages triggered by the attacks. "Now, we have to buy fuel on the black market," said tuk-tuk driver Abdel-Meguid Babiker. On Wednesday evening, drones were also seen over the army-held eastern city of Kassala and northern city of Merowe, prompting anti-aircraft fire. Eight-country east African bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development [IGAD], called the attacks on civilian infrastructure in Port Sudan "unacceptable" and demanded an "immediate end". "Any assault on this critical hub further compounds human suffering and impedes the delivery of urgently needed assistance," IGAD executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said in a statement. The RSF has not commented on the drone strikes, which have hit targets hundreds of kilometres away from their closest known positions on the outskirts of greater Khartoum. The paramilitaries have ramped up their drone campaign since losing control of nearly all of greater Khartoum to the army in March. On Tuesday, the army-backed government severed ties with the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of supplying the RSF with advanced weapons systems. The UAE denied the allegation, adding that the internationally recognised administration "does not represent the legitimate government of Sudan". The paramilitaries and their allies have moved to establish a rival administration in areas under their control. Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied arming the RSF, despite reports from UN experts, US politicians and international organisations. The war has effectively split the country in two, with the army holding the north, east and centre, and the RSF in control of most of Darfur and parts of the south.
The National
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Sudan's RSF expands drone offensive and attacks fuel depots in south
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Thursday attacked key installations in army-held areas for a fifth straight day, with drones hitting fuel depots in the southern city of Kosti and a naval base, witnesses said. The air force academy in Port Sudan was also attacked, they added. The witnesses said the attack on the fuel depots at Kosti started huge fires, sending a black cloud of smoke skywards. The assault on the naval base, the second since the attacks began on Sunday, triggered a series of explosions that rocked Port Sudan, they added. Anti-aircraft fire rang out in the city early in the morning when the drones struck, the witnesses said. The attacks are part of a campaign that began on Sunday when RSF drones first struck Port Sudan, hitting the international airport, a military base, major fuel depots and the city's main power transformer. The attacks on Port Sudan marked a dramatic expansion of the two-year war between the RSF and the armed forces. The Red Sea city, home to Sudan's main port, had been spared the ravages of the conflict until Sunday. Port Sudan became the de facto capital of Sudan soon after the war broke out, when the RSF overran Khartoum. Besides the military leadership and the government, Port Sudan is also home to diplomatic missions and serves as the centre for aid operations in the country, where about 26 million people face acute hunger. 'The militia [RSF] launched another drone attack on the Flamingo Naval Base north of Port Sudan,' an army source told AFP on Thursday. UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned the attacks 'threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country', his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. In the southern White Nile state, RSF drones also struck fuel depots in the army-controlled city of Kosti, setting off massive fires, the witnesses said. The RSF has not commented on the attacks. The Sudan conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced some 13 million, according to UN figures. The war, which began as a power struggle between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, has spiralled into what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Besides the acute hunger facing millions, pockets of famine have also surfaced in several locations of the resource-rich but impoverished country. The war has effectively divided Sudan in two with the army controlling the north, east and centre – including the capital Khartoum – and the RSF dominating nearly all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.
Arab News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Drone strikes spark civilian exodus from army-controlled Sudan aid hub
PORT SUDAN: Paramilitary drones struck army-held areas of eastern and southern Sudan for a fifth straight day Thursday, army sources said, prompting an exodus of civilians from Port Sudan, seat of the army-backed government. Attacks targeted the country's main naval base outside Port Sudan, as well as fuel depots in the southern city of Kosti, two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'The militia launched another drone attack on the Flamingo Naval Base north of Port Sudan,' one source told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the regular army since April 2023. Explosions were heard across the city, an AFP correspondent reported. Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast had been regarded as a safe haven, hosting United Nations offices and hundreds of thousands of displaced people, until drone strikes blamed on the RSF began on Sunday. The port city 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 Stephane Dujarric said. Nearly 1,100 kilometers (some 680 miles) to the southwest, in the army-controlled city of Kosti in White Nile state, RSF drones struck fuel depots, setting off massive fires, a military source said. 'The militia targeted the fuel depots that supply the state with three drones, causing fires to break out,' the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. There were no immediate reports of any casualties. More than two years of war have killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million, according to UN figures. RSF drone strikes on Port Sudan this week hit key facilities including the country's last functioning international airport, its largest working fuel depot and the city's main power station. An army source said air defenses had shot down 15 drones over the city overnight. At Port Sudan's bustling main bus station, civilians were scrambling to leave. 'You can't get a ticket without booking over a day in advance now, all the buses are booked,' said bus company employee Mahmoud Hussein. Among those fleeing was Haidar Ibrahim, preparing to travel south with his family. 'The smoke is everywhere and my wife suffers from asthma,' he told AFP. 'We have no choice but to leave.' Many of those who had sought refuge in Port Sudan have been displaced multiple times before, fleeing each time the front line closed in. Transport costs have nearly doubled as a result of fuel shortages triggered by the attacks. 'Now, we have to buy fuel on the black market,' said tuk-tuk driver Abdel-Meguid Babiker. On Wednesday evening, drones were also seen over the army-held eastern city of Kassala and northern city of Merowe, prompting anti-aircraft fire. Eight-country east African bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), called the attacks on civilian infrastructure in Port Sudan 'unacceptable' and demanded an 'immediate end.' 'Any assault on this critical hub further compounds human suffering and impedes the delivery of urgently needed assistance,' IGAD executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said in a statement. The RSF has not commented on the drone strikes, which have hit targets hundreds of kilometers away from their closest known positions on the outskirts of greater Khartoum. The paramilitaries have ramped up their drone campaign since losing control of nearly all of greater Khartoum to the army in March. On Tuesday, the army-backed government severed ties with the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of supplying the RSF with advanced weapons systems. The UAE denied the allegation, adding that the internationally recognized administration 'does not represent the legitimate government of Sudan.' The paramilitaries and their allies have moved to establish a rival administration in areas under their control. Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied arming the RSF, despite reports from UN experts, US politicians and international organizations. The war has effectively split the country in two, with the army holding the north, east and center, and the RSF in control of most of Darfur and parts of the south.
Al Arabiya
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Drone strikes hit fuel depots in southern Sudan: Army
Drone attacks launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have set fire to fuel depots in the city of Kosti, in Sudan's southern White Nile state, an army source said on Thursday. 'The militia targeted the fuel depots that supply the state with three drones, causing fires to break out,' the source told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the RSF, locked in a brutal war with the army since April 2023.
