Sudan accuses RSF of killing 79 civilians, including 43 children, in strike

Sudan's Foreign Ministry has accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out a drone strike that killed 79 civilians, including 43 children, in what it described as a "massacre" in the West Kordofan region. In a statement on Friday, the ministry claimed the attack on Thursday targeted a kindergarten and a rural hospital in the city of Kalogi, representing "part of an ongoing campaign of genocide" by the RSF.

Details of the Attack and Alleged Targeting

According to the ministry's account, the RSF first struck the kindergarten with rockets fired from a drone. When residents rushed to help the injured, the paramilitaries launched a second strike on the same location, killing more children. The statement further alleges that RSF fighters then pursued victims and medics to the rural hospital where the wounded had been taken, raising the death toll to 79 and leaving 38 injured. The RSF has not commented on the allegations.

Government Condemnation and Accusations of International Complicity

The Sudanese government condemned the assault as "an unprecedented act of terror against children and the wounded," claiming that "even the most brutal extremist groups" had not committed such acts. The statement accused the international community's silence of encouraging further atrocities and asserted that the RSF's backers, the UN Security Council, and other international actors bear responsibility for the continuation of the violence.

Context of the Broader Conflict

The incident occurs amid weeks of fierce fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF across the three Kordofan states, displacing tens of thousands. The RSF controls most of the Darfur region in western Sudan, while the army holds the capital Khartoum and much of the country's north, south, east, and center. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has killed thousands and displaced millions, with both sides accused of severe human rights violations.