At least 24 displaced civilians, including eight children, were killed when a drone strike hit a vehicle carrying families fleeing fighting in central Sudan, according to Sudanese medical and government sources.
The attack, attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, struck near the city of Al-Rahad in North Kordofan state on Saturday, as the passengers were arriving from the Dubeiker area after fleeing violence in South Kordofan.
Medical workers said two of the children killed were infants, and survivors were taken to local facilities already strained by shortages of staff and supplies.
The Sudan Doctors Network said the vehicle was transporting displaced civilians when it was hit by a drone at the southern entrance of Al-Rahad, describing the incident as a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
North Kordofan’s state government condemned the strike as a deliberate attack on unarmed civilians, including women and the elderly, and reported that many others were wounded.
The incident followed a series of drone attacks across North Kordofan targeting humanitarian aid convoys and fuel trucks along the road linking el-Obeid with Kosti in White Nile state.
On Friday, at least one person was killed and several others wounded when drones struck vehicles connected to World Food Programme operations, prompting calls from local authorities for international sanctions on RSF leadership.
UN officials said multiple attacks hit trucks carrying food and fuel in Er-Rahad, Allah Kareem, and Um Rawaba, damaging vehicles delivering relief to displaced communities.
The violence comes amid intensified fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF across the Kordofan region since October 2025, after the fall of el-Fasher to the RSF.
The UN has described el-Fasher as a “crime scene” following reported atrocities.
Washington also condemned the attack on aid operations, with a senior US official calling the destruction of food assistance and harm to civilians “sickening.”
The conflict, now nearing its third year, has killed tens of thousands, displaced nearly 11 million people, and pushed several regions into famine, with tens of thousands fleeing into neighboring Chad.