Sudan's Rapid Support Forces accused of killing 41 in drone attack

At least 41 people, including eight children and many women, were killed in a drone attack targeting a group of displaced persons near the Ethiopian border. The human rights organization ‘Emergency Lawyers’ attributed the attack to the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The strike occurred on Friday in the Abu Shandi area of the Blue Nile province. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expressed horror at the incident, which also left dozens of others wounded. Denise Braune, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, called for accountability regarding the ‘flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law’.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023 between the military and the RSF, has resulted in at least 150,000 deaths according to ACLED data. The war has displaced over 12.4 million people, creating what humanitarian organizations describe as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.