Paramilitary drone strike kills 41 in Sudan Abu Shandi area
A drone strike hit displaced people near the Ethiopian border in Abu Shandi, killing 41 people. The Friday attack left dozens of others wounded in the border region.
The strike occurred in Sudan’s Blue Nile province, according to Emergency Lawyers. The legal group blamed the attack on the Rapid Support Forces.
The group tracks the war across the country. Eight children and many women died in the blast, the group said.
A spokesperson for the RSF did not respond to a request for comment. The U.N. 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,” said Denise Brown, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan in a statement. “As each day goes by in this war, the world continues to accept the suffering of the people of Sudan.”
Fighting began in April 2023 between the national military and the RSF. Tensions exploded into open battles in the capital, Khartoum. Violence quickly spread across the country.
The conflict monitor ACLED reports the war has killed at least 150,000 people. Aid groups say the real number is likely higher.
More than 12.4 million people fled their homes, according to U.N. figures. The fighting created what aid groups call the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
The war produced massive needs nationwide:
- 33.7 million people urgently need aid this year
- 17.3 million children require urgent assistance
- 825,000 children face severe acute malnutrition
The Blue Nile province sits along Sudan’s southeastern frontier with Ethiopia. The United Nations coordinates international relief deliveries across conflict zones through humanitarian agencies.
Displaced families continue to seek shelter in border areas like Abu Shandi.
