Sudan’s army said its anti-aircraft systems intercepted drones targeting the country’s largest naval base in the wartime capital Port Sudan on Wednesday.

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

Port Sudan has been hit by days of assaults - included 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.

Port Sudan had enjoyed relative calm since the civil war between the army and the RSF erupted in April 2023.

The city on the Red Sea coast 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, targeting the army’s main stronghold in eastern Sudan after it drove the RSF back westwards across much of central Sudan, including Khartoum, in March.