Children among 11 people killed in RSF attack in western Sudan

At least 11 civilians were killed, including three children, by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Kordofan State in western Sudan, local doctors said on Sunday.

In a statement, Sudan Doctors Network said that 31 other people were injured, including nine women, some of them pregnant, in the attack that targeted the Shaq Al-Noum area in the state.

It called the attack "one of the worst brutal assaults that flagrantly violates all humanitarian norms and international conventions."

The network called on the international community, including the United Nations and African Union, "to act immediately and seriously to stop these systematic violations, and to work towards bringing the perpetrators to justice."

Surge in attacks

There was no immediate comment from the rebel group on the statement.

North Kordofan has witnessed a surge in attacks as the conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF continues to engulf the country.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 victims and displaced 14 million others, according to the UN and local authorities.

Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.