Drone Strike on Displaced Civilians Kills 41 in Sudan

A drone attack on a gathering of displaced civilians in Sudan’s Blue Nile province killed 41 people, including eight children and many women, according to a rights group monitoring the conflict.

Emergency Lawyers said the strike occurred on Friday in the Abu Shandi area, close to the border with Ethiopia, and was carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it was appalled by the reported strike, which also wounded dozens of people.

“Condemning these senseless killings is essential, but there must also be accountability for this flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law,” said Denise Brown, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan.

“As each day goes by in this war, the world continues to accept the suffering of the people of Sudan.”

Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when tensions between the military and the RSF erupted into open fighting in Khartoum before spreading across the country.

The RSF has been accused of widespread abuses against civilians.

At least 150,000 people have been killed, according to the conflict monitor ACLED, though aid groups believe the true figure is higher.

More than 12.4 million people have been displaced, according to UN figures, in what aid organisations describe as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Across Sudan, 33.7 million people, including 17.3 million children, need urgent assistance this year, while an estimated 825,000 children face severe acute malnutrition.