Drone Attack in Khartoum Kills 5 Civilians, Rights Group Says
Daniel Tari
A drone attack by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed five civilians in Khartoum on Saturday, according to Emergency Lawyers. It was the second such attack in the capital in a week, shattering months of relative calm. The legal group held the RSF fully responsible, accusing it of violating international humanitarian law.
A drone attack by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed five civilians in Khartoum, according to an independent legal group.
Emergency Lawyers, a group that supports victims of human rights violations in Sudan, said the Saturday strike was the second in the capital in a week. It followed months of relative quiet in the city after government forces regained control last year.
The group blamed the RSF entirely, accusing it of violating international humanitarian law.
Citing UN data, Emergency Lawyers said the attack was part of a series of ongoing strikes on civilians. Nearly 700 civilians have been killed in drone strikes in the first three months of this year alone.
Earlier on Tuesday, a drone hit a hospital in the Jebel Awliya area, about 40 km (25 miles) south of central Khartoum, security sources and witnesses told AFP. It was the first such attack in the area for months.
Sudan's army, which now holds firm control in the north and east, launched a rapid counteroffensive last year to push paramilitary forces out of the capital.
After fierce fighting around the capital last year, Sudan's military government declared the Khartoum region "completely free" of the RSF.
Since then, the RSF has focused largely on expanding its stronghold in the western Darfur region and pushing into neighboring areas, seizing valuable oil production facilities.
Violence has also spread to the southeastern Blue Nile state near the border with Ethiopia, raising fears of a protracted and more fragmented conflict.
Last year, the RSF carried out dozens of drone strikes on Khartoum, targeting military sites, power plants and water infrastructure.
In recent months, however, the capital has experienced relative calm, with more than 1.8 million displaced people returning and the airport resuming domestic flights. But much of the city remains without electricity or basic services.
Conflict between the Sudanese government and the RSF — a former ally — began in April 2023. According to the UN, about 14 million people have been displaced since then, and two-thirds of the population requires urgent humanitarian aid.
