Drone strike kills 13 civilians, including children, in Sudan's North Kordofan

A drone attack on a residential area in Sudan has resulted in the deaths of at least 13 civilians, many of them children, medical sources reported on Tuesday. The strike hit a house in the Al-Jallabiya neighborhood of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, amid ongoing fierce fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Details of the attack and accusations

The Sudan Doctors Network stated that nine of the victims belonged to the same family and condemned the assault as a "massacre." The group asserted that the targeted zone is a purely civilian area with no military presence, accusing the RSF of a "flagrant violation of international humanitarian law" and the deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians. It called the incident a "full-fledged war crime" and urged the international community and UN organizations to pressure the RSF to halt such attacks.

Context of the broader conflict

The three Kordofan states have been a major battleground in Sudan's civil war, displacing tens of thousands of people. The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the national army and the RSF, has killed thousands and created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The RSF currently controls the five states of the Darfur region, while the army holds most of the remaining territory, including the capital, Khartoum.

A deepening humanitarian catastrophe

This attack exemplifies the horrific toll the war is taking on civilians and the collapse of basic humanitarian norms. For the international community, including nations like Türkiye that are engaged in humanitarian efforts in the region, such incidents underscore the urgent need for a renewed, concerted diplomatic push to achieve a ceasefire and facilitate aid delivery. The blatant targeting of families in their homes signals a dangerous escalation in brutality that demands immediate global attention and accountability.