The army reported that the attack occurred during a graduation ceremony at the Gibeit army base, located approximately 100 km (62 miles) from the army’s de facto capital, Port Sudan, in Sudan’s Red Sea state. The statement confirmed that five people were killed.
Social media videos, confirmed by Reuters, captured soldiers marching during graduation ceremonies.
The footage included a whirring sound followed by an explosion. Additional video showed a dust cloud and many people running away.
Officials confirmed that Burhan was secure in Port Sudan. This drone strike is the most recent in a series targeting military sites in recent months and is the closest to Port Sudan.
Recently, drone strikes have also targeted Kosti, Rabak, and Kenana in Sudan’s southern White Nile state, as well as al-Damer north of the capital, according to local reports.
Conflict erupted between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the regular army in April 2023 over proposals to merge the two forces.
The war has led to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, pushing half the population into food insecurity and displacing over 10 million people from their homes.
The RSF has not taken responsibility for any of the recent drone strikes.
The recent strike happened after the army-aligned foreign ministry tentatively accepted a U.S. invitation for talks in Switzerland in August.
In reaction, the RSF stated that it would only entertain in negotiations with the army, excluding the Islamist sections that constitute a significant percentage of the civil service.
Recently, the RSF has stepped up efforts to seize more territory, conducting incursions into the southeastern state of Sennar, displacing more than 165,000 people. The group has also expanded into White Nile and al-Gedaref states.
The RSF rapidly captured the capital, Khartoum, last year, followed by much of the Darfur region and El Gezira state.
Nevertheless, a stalemate remains near al-Fashir, which is one of 14 areas in Sudan where experts have raised alarms about the risk of famine.
Efforts to mediate the conflict in the past have not achieved a lasting ceasefire, leading many Sudanese to see the forthcoming talks in Switzerland as the most promising opportunity to end the war.
The discussions, supported by Saudi Arabia, will feature Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The army and others have claimed that the UAE is providing the RSF with weaponry, including drones, although the UAE has refuted these allegations.