Sudan's Escalating Conflict: Drone Strikes Target Displaced Families and Aid Convoys
A devastating drone attack by paramilitary forces in central Sudan has claimed the lives of at least twenty-four displaced civilians, including eight children, according to medical groups monitoring the country's brutal conflict. The strike represents another grim chapter in Sudan's humanitarian catastrophe, where civilian populations face relentless violence amid widespread food shortages.
Deadly Attack on Fleeing Families
The Sudan Doctors Network reported on Saturday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted a vehicle transporting displaced families near Er Rahad city in North Kordofan province. The vehicle was carrying people who had fled fighting in the Dubeiker area when it was struck by the drone attack. Among the twenty-four confirmed fatalities were eight children, including two infants, with several other survivors suffering injuries that required emergency medical treatment.
The medical situation in Er Rahad remains dire, with severe shortages of medical supplies mirroring conditions across the broader Kordofan region. The doctors' group issued a statement urging international bodies and human rights organisations to take immediate action to protect civilians and hold RSF leadership directly accountable for what they described as clear violations of international law.
Parallel Strike on Humanitarian Aid Convoy
In a separate incident that occurred on Friday, a United Nations World Food Programme convoy came under drone attack while attempting to deliver life-saving food assistance to displaced people in El Obeid, North Kordofan. UN humanitarian coordinator Denise Brown confirmed that the strike killed one person and wounded several others, while completely destroying the aid trucks and their vital cargo.
"Attacks on aid operations undermine efforts to reach people facing hunger and displacement," Brown stated, highlighting how such incidents exacerbate an already catastrophic humanitarian situation. This attack followed another drone strike near a WFP facility in Blue Nile province just last week, which injured a humanitarian worker.
International Condemnation and Growing Crisis
The international community has responded with strong condemnation of these attacks. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry issued a sharply worded statement on Saturday, specifically calling out the RSF for its recent drone strikes against civilians, aid convoys, and medical facilities. The Saudi statement also referenced foreign parties allegedly supplying illegal arms and fighters to the conflict, an apparent reference to accusations against the United Arab Emirates, which has denied such claims.
British minister for international development and Africa Jenny Chapman described the WFP convoy attack as "disgraceful," emphasising that "aid workers and humanitarian operations bringing vital food should never be targeted." Meanwhile, US adviser for African and Arab affairs Massad Boulos condemned the destruction of food intended for people in need as "sickening" and called for accountability.
Deepening Humanitarian Catastrophe
These attacks occur against the backdrop of what has become the world's largest humanitarian crisis. The conflict between the Sudanese military and RSF, which erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle, has already claimed more than 40,000 lives according to UN estimates, though aid groups believe the true death toll could be significantly higher.
The devastating consequences include:
- Over 14 million people displaced from their homes
- Widespread disease outbreaks across affected regions
- Expanding famine conditions, particularly in Darfur
- Projected increases in acute malnutrition cases
A recent report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirmed famine in two additional areas of Darfur, where famine was first identified in a displacement camp in August 2024. The report projects worsening conditions through 2026, with acute malnutrition cases among children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women expected to increase by 13.5%, reaching nearly 4.2 million individuals.
Save the Children's country director for Sudan, Mohamed Abdiladif, painted a harrowing picture of the situation on the ground: "Every day we hear devastating stories of parents selling the last of what they own simply to keep their children alive from one day to the next." He confirmed that children are already dying from hunger-related causes in multiple parts of the country.
As Kordofan emerges as a major flashpoint in the ongoing conflict, with the army recently breaking RSF sieges in two major cities, the international community faces mounting pressure to intervene more effectively. The combination of targeted attacks on civilians and humanitarian operations, coupled with spreading famine conditions, creates what aid organisations describe as one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies of our time.
