Seven people killed in RSF drone strike on market in Sudan's Kordofan: medics

Seven people were killed in a drone strike by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that targeted a popular market in South Kordofan, a doctors’ group said on Saturday.

The Sudan Doctors Network said the death toll from Thursday’s attack on the market in Dilling rose to seven, with 32 wounded.

Three children and two women were among those killed, the group said, adding that most of the wounded are women and children and many injuries are critical.

It condemned the “massacre,” calling the attack a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a systematic crime against unarmed civilians.

Dangerous escalation

The group said targeting residential neighbourhoods, markets and civilian gatherings marks a dangerous escalation that deepens civilian suffering and undermines efforts to protect civilians.

The network held RSF commanders responsible for the attack and civilian casualties, saying the strike deliberately targeted civilian facilities.

It urged the international community, the UN and human rights groups to intervene to protect civilians, push for an end to attacks on populated areas and lift the siege on Dilling.

The group warned that Dilling is entering the third phase of hunger after basic food supplies were cut off due to the siege.

Drone attacks

The RSF did not immediately comment. On Friday, media reports cited sources that said five people were killed and 25 wounded in an RSF drone strike on the Dilling market.

Authorities have repeatedly accused the RSF of carrying out drone attacks on civilian facilities, including power stations and infrastructure in northern and eastern cities.

The cities of Kadugli and Dilling have been under siege by the RSF and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) since the early months of the war more than two years ago, facing repeated artillery and drone attacks.

In recent weeks, Sudan’s three Kordofan states – North, West and South – have witnessed intense clashes between the army and the RSF, triggering the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians.

Thousands killed in war

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five in the Darfur region in the west, excluding some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east and center, including the capital, Khartoum.

The conflict between the army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed thousands and displaced millions.