Sudan’s military reported that its air defenses intercepted drones aimed at a naval installation in Port Sudan, the country’s wartime capital, on Wednesday. Loud explosions echoed through the city, though it remained unclear whether they struck near the Flamingo naval base.

Port Sudan has endured a string of attacks in recent days, including drone strikes allegedly carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have set ablaze the nation’s largest fuel reserves and disrupted its primary channel for humanitarian relief.

The Red Sea port city had largely escaped the brunt of the conflict since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the army and RSF, a war that has unleashed mass displacement, famine, and ethnically motivated violence. After the RSF surged through Khartoum at the conflict’s onset, Port Sudan became the de facto seat of the army-aligned government.

The drone raids mark a new escalation as the army had recently reported territorial gains in Khartoum and central Sudan. The battle’s momentum has swung repeatedly, with drone warfare increasingly shaping the conflict. Neither side, however, appears close to a decisive victory.

The conflict stems from a bitter power struggle between the army and RSF, with both factions leaning heavily on foreign backers to fuel their campaigns.