Sudan drone strikes killed two children and wounded at least 12 others in the Kordofan region on Wednesday, as the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces intensifies.
A separate drone strike also damaged a World Food Programme warehouse in the famine-hit city of Kadugli, according to United Nations sources.
The Kordofan region has become one of the fiercest battlegrounds in Sudan’s war, which erupted in April 2023 and has since created the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.
School strike in North Kordofan
A drone strike blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces targeted a traditional Koranic school in El-Rahad, North Kordofan, killing two children and injuring 12 others, a medical source told AFP.
An eyewitness, Ahmed Moussa, said he saw around a dozen wounded students after the drone hit the school.
The attack comes amid escalating aerial assaults across the region, where civilians have repeatedly been caught in crossfire.
WFP warehouse damaged in Kadugli
In South Kordofan’s capital Kadugli, another drone strike hit a warehouse belonging to the United Nations World Food Programme.
A UN source told AFP that the strike caused structural damage to the building and losses to food supplies stored inside. The source declined to identify which side was responsible.
However, the political wing of the RSF, known as Tasis, accused the army of carrying out the strike. The Sudanese army recently broke a paramilitary siege on the city.
Last week, a drone strike blamed on the RSF hit a WFP aid convoy heading to El-Obeid in North Kordofan, killing one person and injuring several others.
Kordofan at the center of the Sudan conflict
Since the war began in April 2023, fighting between the army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands and displaced about 11 million people.
The conflict has effectively split Sudan:
The army controls the north, centre, and east
The RSF and allied forces control most of the west and parts of the south
Kordofan, rich in oil and gold resources, has become a key battleground. The RSF has sought to expand eastward along a strategic corridor linking Darfur to central Sudan and the capital Khartoum.
Famine and rising civilian casualties
A UN-backed report confirmed famine conditions in Kadugli since September. Dilling has experienced similar levels of food insecurity.
Since October, more than 115,000 people have fled southern Kordofan amid ongoing strikes and shortages. Supply routes to Dilling were cut for much of the conflict.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said this week that around 90 civilians were killed and 142 injured in drone strikes over just two weeks. He stated that both warring parties targeted markets, residential areas, and health facilities in North and South Kordofan.
According to the World Health Organization, three health facilities were attacked in South Kordofan during the first week of February alone, killing 30 people, including at least five children and four health workers.
Conclusion:
As Sudan drone strikes continue across Kordofan, civilian casualties and damage to humanitarian infrastructure are mounting. With famine conditions worsening and frontlines shifting, the region remains at the heart of Sudan’s ongoing war.
