‘Drone strike on El Obeid shelter kills boy, wounds 12 children’

A drone strike on a shelter for internally displaced people in El Obeid, North Kordofan, late on Thursday reportedly killed a boy and wounded 12 children, as another drone strike on a university dormitory in the city killed five civilians and injured 47 others.

The El Mina El Bari shelter strike injured five boys and seven girls, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) press release published yesterday, which condemned the attack and called for an end to strikes on places where children seek safety.

“Children come to these places in the hope of safety and protection, but last night any sense of safety was shattered,” UNICEF Representative in Sudan Angela Kearney said. “Attacks on the places children go for protection must stop. These children have nowhere else to go.”

The strike came as El Obeid faced another deadly drone attack on student accommodation at the University of Kordofan. The Sudanese Doctors Network reported that five civilians were killed and 47 wounded in the strike, which hit university housing in the city.

The medical group said reports indicate that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack, although the RSF had not commented at the time of publication.

Radio Dabanga was unable to independently verify the attribution.

The Sudanese Doctors Network condemned the university strike, saying attacks on educational facilities and student accommodation constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

UNICEF said more than 400 children were reportedly killed or injured across Sudan between January and September 2026, with drone attacks accounting for a significant share of child casualties.

Drone strikes have repeatedly hit homes and civilian infrastructure across El Obeid, including hospitals, schools, fuel and power facilities and displacement shelters, amid heavy fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and RSF across Kordofan since October 2025.

UNICEF called on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.