Sudan RSF drone strike killed two children and injured 12 others on Wednesday after a drone hit a traditional Koranic school in the southern Kordofan city of El-Rahad, according to a medical source who spoke to AFP. The attack comes as fighting intensifies across the region and displacement figures continue to rise.
An eyewitness, Ahmed Moussa, told AFP that he saw around a dozen injured students following the strike. The attack was attributed to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been engaged in a war with the Sudanese army since April 2023.
Kordofan has emerged as one of the most violent fronts in the conflict, with repeated drone strikes and ground clashes reported across North and South Kordofan.
El-Rahad attack amid escalating Kordofan fighting
El-Rahad lies on a strategic route linking El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, to the White Nile river, which represents a key supply line for the Sudanese army toward Khartoum.
The city was retaken by the army in February 2025 during an offensive aimed at breaking a prolonged siege on El-Obeid. Since then, the Rapid Support Forces have sought to reimpose pressure on the area, including through successive drone strikes targeting the eastern highway that connects Darfur with central Sudan.
The broader conflict has effectively divided the country into two zones of control:
The army holds much of the north, centre and east.
• The RSF and allied forces control most of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.
After consolidating control over Darfur in October, including the capture of El-Fasher, the RSF shifted its focus toward Kordofan, raising fears of further escalation in the oil- and gold-rich region.
Civilian toll and humanitarian impact
According to the United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk, nearly 100 civilians were killed and 142 injured in drone strikes across Kordofan in the two weeks leading up to February 6. He said strikes carried out by both warring sides hit civilian targets, including:
A World Food Programme convoy
• Markets and residential neighbourhoods
• Health facilities in North and South Kordofan
The World Health Organization reported that in the first week of February alone, three health facilities were attacked in South Kordofan, killing 30 people.
From late October to early February, at least 115,223 people were displaced from Kordofan, according to data released Tuesday by the UN’s International Organization for Migration. The agency recorded more than 80 violent incidents across North, South and West Kordofan states during that period.
Over 100,000 displaced as crisis deepens
The United Nations describes Sudan’s conflict as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Since the war began in April 2023, tens of thousands have been killed and more than 11 million people displaced nationwide.
The recent wave of displacement from Kordofan followed intensified clashes after the RSF captured El-Fasher in October, forcing at least 127,000 people to flee. That takeover was accompanied by reports of mass killings, rape, abductions and widespread looting, according to UN reporting.
Kordofan’s location between RSF-controlled Darfur and army-held Nile Valley areas has made it a central battleground. Both sides have increasingly relied on drone strikes, resulting in repeated civilian casualties and further displacement.
Conclusion:
The Sudan RSF drone strike on a school in El-Rahad highlights the growing civilian toll of the conflict in Kordofan. With fighting intensifying and displacement exceeding 115,000 people in recent months, international agencies continue to warn of worsening humanitarian conditions across the region.
