Three people lost their lives and four aid workers sustained injuries Thursday when drones targeted a humanitarian convoy transporting essential supplies through Sudan’s conflict-torn Kordofan region, according to medical monitoring groups.
The Sudan Doctors Network reported on social media that the vehicles were delivering food and emergency aid to Kadugli city and Dilling town in South Kordofan when the attack occurred in the Kartala area. The medical group attributed the drone assault to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), though the specific aid organization operating the convoy remains unknown.
Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since April 2023, with fighting between the RSF and government military forces spreading nationwide. The World Health Organization reports that the conflict has claimed at least 40,000 lives and forced 12 million people from their homes. Aid organizations warn the actual casualty count may be significantly higher due to limited access to remote combat zones.
The Kordofan region has become the latest battleground, where humanitarian groups and security analysts document increasing drone attacks that disrupt relief efforts and harm civilians. This occurs despite military claims of regaining control and lifting sieges in Kadugli and Dilling. February alone saw 77 civilian deaths from drone warfare across Kordofan.
United Nations agencies announced Wednesday that a convoy successfully reached Dilling and Kadugli with assistance for over 130,000 residents – marking the first substantial aid delivery in three months. Nevertheless, relief workers express growing alarm over the intensifying violence.
This marks the second assault on humanitarian convoys within a month, the Sudan Doctors Network noted. Earlier in the month, attackers struck a World Food Program convoy in North Kordofan.
Meanwhile, a UN-supported investigative team released findings Thursday concluding that RSF actions in el-Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, during late October displayed “hallmarks of genocide.” In response to these findings, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on three RSF commanders involved in el-Fasher operations and demanded the group agree to an immediate ceasefire.
