A drone strike on Kutum town in Sudan’s North Darfur state has killed at least 12 civilians, including six children, according to medical sources and local activists.
The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, comes amid escalating drone warfare between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who have been locked in conflict since April 2023.
A medical source said those brought to a hospital in Kutum included 12 fatalities, among them six children, including three female secondary school students. Sixteen others, including women and children, were reported injured and are receiving treatment.
The El-Fasher Resistance Committee said the strike targeted the Al-Salama neighbourhood near Al-Um Girls’ School, alleging that the army was responsible for the attack.
The incident adds to a growing toll of civilian casualties linked to drone strikes. The United Nations recently reported that more than 500 civilians were killed in similar attacks between January and mid-March, highlighting the increasing use of high-tech weapons in densely populated areas.
Sudan’s ongoing conflict, now approaching its third year, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced over 11 million people, creating what the UN describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.
