A drone strike by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces hit a kindergarten in Kalogi, South Kordofan, killing 50 people, including 33 children, a doctors’ group reported. Paramedics at the scene were hit in what the group described as a second unexpected attack.
Communications blackouts in the area are limiting reporting and the death toll may rise. The strike is part of fighting between the RSF and Sudan’s armed forces that began in 2023 and has escalated in the oil-rich Kordofan states.
UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett described the killing of children at school as a horrific violation of their rights and urged all parties to cease attacks and allow safe, unhindered humanitarian access.
Hundreds of civilians have been killed across the Kordofan states in recent weeks after the RSF seized the besieged city of el-Fasher. Sudanese military aerial strikes on Sunday killed at least 48 people, mostly civilians, in Kauda, South Kordofan.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned Kordofan risks atrocities similar to those documented in el-Fasher, where the RSF takeover was accompanied by executions, rape, sexual assaults and other abuses. Thousands fled el-Fasher; many are feared killed or trapped.
The World Health Organization estimates more than 40,000 people have died and 12 million have been displaced since the war began, while aid groups warn the true toll may be significantly higher.
