A drone strike blamed on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed 30 displaced people and wounded dozens more near Abu Shandi camp in the southeastern Blue Nile region, according to the regional government, as a separate drone attack on El-Obeid injured six civilians and damaged homes and vehicles.
The Blue Nile regional government said in a statement that the strike targeted several locations around the camp in Wad Al-Mahi locality, including gatherings of displaced people, a water facility, residential areas and sites where people were engaged in traditional gold mining.
Local sources said most of the casualties were women and children. The camp hosts people displaced from several parts of Blue Nile, where fighting has forced repeated waves of civilians to flee their homes.
The regional government blamed the RSF for the attack and called on the international community and humanitarian and human rights organisations to condemn the incident, investigate the circumstances and hold those responsible accountable.
It said attacks on civilians violated international humanitarian law, which requires parties to armed conflicts to distinguish between civilians and combatants and protect people not taking part in hostilities.
The Wad Al-Mahi local administration also condemned the strike, warning that drone attacks posed an ongoing threat to civilians, particularly people who had fled fighting in search of safety. It called for an end to attacks on displacement sites and for humanitarian assistance to reach affected communities without obstruction.
The Sudan Doctors Network (SDN) described the attack as a massacre, reporting that four children were among those killed and six children among the injured. The network called on the United Nations, humanitarian agencies and international rights organisations to respond urgently.
The strike comes amid expanding military operations in Blue Nile since January, involving the Sudanese army, the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, according to the supplied report.
Drone Attack Injures Civilians in El-Obeid
In a separate incident, around 10 suicide drones targeted El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, early Friday, according to field accounts cited in the report.
Ground-based air defences belonging to the army’s Fifth Infantry Division engaged the drones, with military sources saying several were intercepted. Other drones reportedly exploded in residential areas, injuring six civilians and damaging homes and six vehicles.
The attack triggered explosions across parts of the city and heightened fear among residents. El-Obeid has faced repeated drone strikes in recent months as fighting continues across the Kordofan region.
Earlier attacks reported in the city included strikes on shelters for displaced people and civilian facilities, adding to the risks faced by families who have fled fighting elsewhere in Sudan.
El-Obeid is a key urban and transport hub linking central and western Sudan, making it strategically important to military movements and supply routes during the conflict.
