People pray in front of a house hit by a drone in El Obeid, North Kordofan state in January. The UN said the RSF also hit an aid convoy in the state on Friday. | El Tayeb Siddig/Reuter
A vehicle carrying displaced families in North Kordofan state was struck by a drone this weekend, medical sources and aid groups said, killing at least 24 people, among them eight children. The attack came as thousands continued to flee widespread fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF.
The drone strike hit near the town of Rahad, a key crossroads for people escaping combat in central Sudan, according to the Sudan Doctors Network and local relief workers. Survivors told reporters they were trying to reach safety and humanitarian aid when the attack unfolded.
Saturday’s assault followed another recent drone strike on a World Food Programme aid convoy in North Kordofan that killed at least one person and destroyed food supplies headed for vulnerable communities. Relentless insecurity on main supply routes has made aid deliveries increasingly perilous.
The United Nations and other humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that attacks on aid workers, convoys and civilian infrastructure are jeopardizing efforts to assist millions in need. UN officials have said such incidents not only cost lives but also slow or halt the delivery of food, medicine and shelter to displaced families.
UN humanitarian coordinators stressed that violations of international humanitarian law, including strikes on non-combatants and relief assets, are eroding safe access to populations already facing extreme deprivation. Aid groups said the situation is worsening famine risks in Darfur and Kordofan regions.
The broader conflict, now nearly three years old, has pitted the paramilitary RSF against the Sudanese Armed Forces in a fierce battle for power that has displaced millions and triggered what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The war has killed tens of thousands and pushed more than 14 million people from their homes, according to recent UN figures and international estimates, with food insecurity and malnutrition rising sharply in many parts of the country.
Sudanese and international observers say drone attacks have become a hallmark of the conflict, regularly hitting civilian targets, health facilities and infrastructure. Analyses of satellite imagery and conflict reports indicate an expanding role of unmanned systems deployed by both sides, complicating efforts to protect communities and aid operations.
UN agencies have urged all parties to allow unimpeded humanitarian access and protect civilians under international law, while donors and governments weigh additional assistance to respond to the escalating crisis.
