By ENAS ALASHRAY Reuters
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DUBAI — Sudan’s army said its anti-aircraft systems intercepted drones on Wednesday targeting a naval base in the wartime capital Port Sudan.

Explosions were heard in the city, though it was not immediately clear whether they were near the Flamingo base.

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Port Sudan has been hit by days of assaults – including reported drone strikes by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – that have torched the country’s biggest fuel depots and damaged its main gateway for humanitarian aid.

The Red Sea city had enjoyed relative calm since the war between the army and the RSF broke out in April 2023, triggering mass displacement, famine and ethnically-driven killings.

Port Sudan became the base for the army-aligned government after the RSF swept through much of the capital Khartoum at the start of the conflict.

The drone strikes on Port Sudan opened a new front after the army had made recent gains in the capital and central Sudan.

On Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry said it did not recognise a decision by Sudan’s army-affiliated defence council to sever ties with the Gulf country.

The Sudanese defence council said on Sunday it would cut ties with the UAE over army accusations that Abu Dhabi supplied the RSF with advanced and strategic weapons.