RSF drone strike kills 41 in Sudan’s Blue Nile region, rights group says

A drone strike attributed to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed 41 people at a camp for displaced civilians in the country’s Blue Nile region, near the Ethiopian border, according to the Emergency Lawyers rights group.

According to a BBC report, the attack reportedly occurred on Friday in the Abu Shandi area of Blue Nile State, which has experienced repeated attacks and displacement in recent weeks.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it was “appalled by horrifying reports” of the incident, adding that initial information indicated that most of those killed or injured were women and children.

OCHA also warned that the affected area had been under sustained attack in recent weeks, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes and exposing many others to serious danger.

Sudan has been engulfed in a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF since April 2023. The conflict has killed large numbers of people, displaced millions and triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

The Sudanese army controls much of the country’s central and eastern regions, while the RSF maintains its stronghold in Darfur and controls areas in the south.

Both sides have been accused of carrying out drone attacks during the conflict, raising further concerns about the safety of civilians, particularly those sheltering in displacement camps.

The latest reported strike underscores the continuing risks facing displaced communities in Sudan, as humanitarian needs grow and access to medical assistance remains a major concern.