Drone strikes and deadly explosions kill scores of civilians across Sudan

Drone strikes and explosions have killed scores of civilians and injured dozens across Sudan, as attacks on displacement shelters and residential neighbourhoods in Blue Nile and North Kordofan coincide with deadly mine blasts in West Kordofan and renewed armed violence in South Darfur.

In Blue Nile, the regional government reported that 30 civilians were killed on Friday morning when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a drone attack on a displacement shelter in Abu Shandi, a village in Wad El Mahi locality. 

However, the Emergency Lawyers group reported preliminary information indicating that eight children had been killed and 26 women seriously injured, with the full toll remaining unclear.

Residents told Radio Dabanga that most of the victims were women and children. The shelter housed people who had fled Geisan locality in search of safety.

The Blue Nile Regional Government held the RSF responsible for the attack and urged the international community, human rights organisations and humanitarian agencies to condemn the killings, investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.

The Emergency Lawyers group also condemned the strike, describing it as a serious escalation in attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. It called for an immediate halt to such attacks and an independent, transparent investigation.

‘Displacement mounts’

The attack comes amid worsening insecurity across Blue Nile. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that a further 1,275 people, or 255 families, had fled 10 villages in Wad El Mahi locality as the security situation deteriorated. The displaced moved to different locations in El Roseires locality.

In Ed Damazin, residents reported further displacement following drone strikes and ground attacks in several areas. One resident told Radio Dabanga that the regional government was urging people to remain in the city despite the insecurity.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Fourth Infantry Division and allied forces said they had repelled an attack by the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North in the Umm Darfa area of eastern Blue Nile.

‘Drone strike injures six in El Obeid’

In North Kordofan, an RSF drone attack on El Obeid on Friday morning injured six civilians, who were taken for treatment. The strike also damaged residential houses and destroyed six vehicles, according to the report.

The latest attack follows a separate strike on a shelter for internally displaced people in El Obeid last week, in which five people were killed. The SAF and the RSF have continued to exchange drone attacks, killing civilians and damaging essential infrastructure.

‘UXO blast kills four in Babanusa’

In West Kordofan, four displaced people were killed earlier this week when an unexploded landmine detonated in Babanusa, bringing the reported mine-related death toll in the city to about 35. More than 20 people, including children and adults, have reportedly suffered amputations, while around 70 cattle have also been killed in mine explosions.

Howaida Abdelrahman Saleh, executive director of the Muznah charitable organisation, told Radio Dabanga that the four victims had travelled to Babanusa to settle there after hearing that relief aid had arrived. They went to the military division’s headquarters to collect supplies for their family when a mine exploded, killing them immediately.

Saleh warned that mines and explosive remnants of war scattered throughout houses and residential neighbourhoods, particularly around the division’s headquarters, had turned Babanusa into a “time bomb”.

She said the widespread contamination posed a serious threat to returning residents and newly displaced people, some of whom enter dangerous areas in search of beds and other household essentials. Continued population movements have made efforts to manage the risks increasingly difficult.

Muznah carried out mine-risk awareness activities in four Babanusa neighbourhoods in early September: El Salam, El Wahda, Maqat El Sharq and Maqal El Gharb. The initiative reached more than 300 school students and included awareness sessions in markets, mosques and livestock markets, as well as warning signs near high-risk areas.

Saleh urged residents not to touch suspicious objects and to report them immediately to the police so that specialist teams could respond. She also called for urgent mine clearance, stronger public awareness campaigns and additional support for Babanusa Hospital, which has resumed operations but lacks the resources to meet residents’ needs.

‘Armed clashes kill 11 in South Darfur’

In a separate incident in South Darfur, 11 people were killed in armed clashes in Wad El Fursan on Thursday evening following a dispute between an RSF force and a motorcycle trader.

A local source told Radio Dabanga that the dispute began when a man who had reported the theft of his motorcycle to the police identified a suspect in the market. An RSF officer, El Nazir Hilal, accompanied by two guards, went with the man to confront the suspect, who said he had bought the motorcycle from a local dealer.

The force then approached the dealer and asked him to accompany them to the police station. When the dealer requested time to complete the delivery of motorcycles in his showroom to their owners, the force refused. A further dispute erupted after the dealer offered to leave a relative in custody until he had finished the deliveries.

According to the source, the dealer shot and killed the officer and one other member of the force, while another member of the force shot and killed the dealer. Subsequent clashes during the night brought the death toll to 11.

The fighting heightened fears of further violence, although the source said the security situation had stabilised by Friday morning following the arrival of reinforcements from Nyala, the state capital.