A drone strike on a vehicle transporting displaced civilians in central Sudan has killed at least 24 people, including eight children, the Sudan Doctors Network reported on Saturday, as detailed by The Guardian. The group said the attack was carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces close to the city of Er Rahad in North Kordofan province.
The vehicle was carrying families who had fled fighting in the Dubeiker area, according to the network, which stated that among the dead children were two infants. Several others were wounded and taken to Er Rahad for treatment, an area suffering severe medical supplies shortages like much of the Kordofan region.
Aid convoy targeted
In a separate incident, a drone attack on Friday struck a World Food Programme aid convoy in North Kordofan, killing one person and wounding several others, said Denise Brown, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan. She reported the convoy was heading to deliver life-saving food assistance to displaced people in El Obeid when it was hit, burning the trucks and destroying the aid.
Brown stated that attacks on aid operations undermine efforts to reach people facing hunger and displacement. She also said a drone strike last week hit close to a WFP facility in Blue Nile province, wounding a WFP worker.
Condemnations and accusations
The Sudan Doctors Network described the attack on the displaced families’ vehicle as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law amounting to a war crime. The independent group Emergency Lawyers blamed the RSF for the strike.
Massad Boulos, a US adviser for African and Arab affairs, condemned the attack on the WFP convoy on X, calling for accountability and stating the Trump administration has zero tolerance for such destruction. Jenny Chapman, the British minister for international development and Africa, called the convoy attack disgraceful in a post on X, stressing that aid workers should never be targeted.
In a strongly worded statement, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry criticised the RSF for recent drone strikes, including on the vehicle of displaced families, the WFP convoy, and on a hospital in Kordofan that killed 22 people. The Saudi statement called for the RSF to stop attacks on civilians and aid convoys, and referenced foreign parties delivering illegal arms, mercenaries and foreign fighters—an apparent reference to the United Arab Emirates, which has denied accusations of arming the paramilitary group.
War context and humanitarian crisis
Sudan was plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. The war has killed more than 40,000 people according to UN figures, though aid groups say the true number is likely much higher.
It has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, forcing over 14 million people from their homes, fuelling disease outbreaks and pushing parts of the country into famine. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reported on Thursday that famine was found in two more areas in Darfur, and warned acute malnutrition is expected to worsen in 2026, with cases in children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women rising to nearly 4.2 million.
Mohamed Abdiladif, the country director for Save the Children in Sudan, said children were already dying from hunger-related causes in many parts of Sudan. The doctors’ network urged the international community to take immediate action to protect civilians and hold the RSF leadership accountable. There was no immediate comment from the RSF.
In recent months, Kordofan has become a flashpoint in the war; the army managed to break the RSF siege of two major cities in the region earlier this year.
