(MENAFN) A military graduation ceremony in eastern Sudan turned tragic as drone strikes targeted the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) base in Gebeit, leaving five dead and several injured, the SAF reported on Wednesday. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan's de facto leader and army chief, narrowly escaped the assault while attending the event.

According to a statement released by the army, the strikes occurred shortly after a ceremony marking the graduation of military, air, and navy college students. The incident, captured on social media, depicted chaotic scenes with scores of people fleeing amid the sound of explosions in Red Sea State, near the de facto capital of Port Sudan.

Sudan has been embroiled in a brutal conflict since April 2023, pitting General Burhan against Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, chief of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF, alleged to have seized control of eight out of Sudan's 18 state capitals, including Khartoum, has intensified the country's instability.

The United Nations has characterized Sudan's humanitarian situation as dire, with nearly 11 million people internally displaced and over half of the population facing severe food shortages due to the 15-month-long conflict. Reports from the United Nation's humanitarian affairs office estimate that more than 18,000 people have lost their lives, with thousands more injured amidst ongoing hostilities.

Wednesday's attack marks a continuation of assaults on military installations across Sudan and comes shortly after RSF leader Daglo agreed to participate in ceasefire negotiations scheduled for next month in Switzerland, facilitated by the United States and Saudi Arabia.RE: Sudan at stake: Will Egypt manage to bring the warring parties back to the negotiating table?

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