A drone strike blamed on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces hit a gathering of displaced people near the Ethiopian border on Friday, killing 41, the rights group Emergency Lawyers said.
The strike took place in the Abu Shandi area of Sudan’s Blue Nile province. Among the dead were eight children and many women, and dozens more were wounded, according to the group, which tracks the war. An RSF spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it was appalled by the reported strike. “Condemning these senseless killings is essential, but there must also be accountability for this flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law,” Denise Brown, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said in a statement.
Sudan’s war began in April 2023 when fighting erupted between the military and the RSF in Khartoum and spread nationwide. The conflict has killed at least 150,000 people according to the ACLED monitor, forced more than 12.4 million to flee, and left 33.7 million people, including 17.3 million children, urgently needing aid this year.