At least 104 civilians have died in a series of drone attacks across Sudan’s Kordofan region since early December, according to reports from humanitarian and official sources. The events occurred amid intensified fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after the RSF captured an SAF base in Babnusa.
The attacks have been concentrated in the central Kordofan region, marking a shift in the conflict’s primary front from the western Darfur region. One of the deadliest reported incidents occurred in Kalogi, South Kordofan, where an attack on a kindergarten and a hospital resulted in 89 fatalities, including 43 children and eight women, according to local health officials.
Following the reports, United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk issued a statement saying he was “alarmed by the further intensification in hostilities.” He noted that targeting medical facilities is a violation of international humanitarian law.
On December 13, an attack on a United Nations mission base in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the events, which he termed “horrific drone attacks.” In a statement, Guterres said that attacks targeting peacekeepers “may constitute war crimes under international law.”
The following day, Dilling Military Hospital was also struck. Casualty numbers from this incident vary between sources. The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical union, reported nine deaths and 17 injuries, calling the incident part of a “systematic targeting of health institutions.” UN officials reported six people killed and 12 wounded in the same attack.
The Sudanese Armed Forces have publicly attributed the drone attacks to the RSF. The RSF has not issued a public response to the accusations.
The conflict has contributed to a wider humanitarian crisis in the region. North Kordofan’s Health Minister, Iman Malik, reported that the state has recorded 13,609 cholera cases and 730 dengue fever infections. Malik also stated that 30 percent of the state’s health facilities are no longer functional due to damage or lack of resources.
Aid organizations report significant displacement, with more than 40,000 people having fled North Kordofan. In the nearby Heglig area, approximately 2,000 people were displaced to White Nile state after the RSF took control of the area.
These developments in Kordofan follow the RSF’s capture of el-Fasher, the SAF’s last major stronghold in Darfur, in October. A report from the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health stated its findings that RSF forces were responsible for killing civilians attempting to flee el-Fasher and subsequently worked to conceal the events.
The war in Sudan began in April 2023. The United Nations reports that the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, though some aid organizations suggest the actual number is higher. The UN also states that over 14 million people have been displaced, creating what it describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
