At least 16 civilians were killed in artillery strikes on the city of Dilling in Sudan’s South Kordofan state, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The medical monitoring group reported on Friday that the strikes, conducted over the preceding two days by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups, targeted residential areas.
The Sudan Doctors Network stated that women, children, and elderly residents were among those killed. The group called for international pressure on the involved parties to halt attacks on civilian areas and to permit humanitarian access for those affected by the fighting. The strikes have placed additional strain on local health facilities, which the group said were already managing outbreaks of cholera and dengue fever.
The incident is part of a wider conflict in the Kordofan region. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 50,000 people have been displaced across Kordofan’s three states since late October, when the RSF increased its operations there. The IOM reported that approximately 710 of those displaced were from Dilling.
Earlier this month, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk commented on the violence in the region, stating that history was “repeating itself” in Kordofan, drawing a comparison to past events in Darfur.
Separately, on December 13, a drone strike on a United Nations base in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the attack “may constitute war crimes.” Following the incident, the U.N. mission evacuated its logistics base in the city, citing security concerns.
The broader conflict in Sudan began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo. According to U.N. figures, the war has displaced approximately 14 million people and caused more than 100,000 fatalities, creating what the agency has described as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
A U.N. report released last week detailed an RSF assault on the Zamzam camp for displaced persons in Darfur in April, stating that over 1,000 civilians were killed. The report also noted the use of sexual violence by RSF fighters. Both the RSF and the government-aligned SAF have faced accusations of committing atrocities during the conflict.
On the diplomatic front, General al-Burhan met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo this week. The Egyptian government issued a statement warning it would not permit “red lines” to be crossed in Sudan, referencing a joint defense pact and its national security interests. Meanwhile, U.S. officials have engaged in discussions with officials from the United Arab Emirates regarding a humanitarian ceasefire. Some U.N. experts and Sudanese officials have accused the UAE of backing the RSF, an allegation the UAE has denied.
