The UN and the African Union (AU) have voiced strong condemnation of drone strikes in Sudan’s South Kordofan state, which killed more than 100 civilians, many of them children.
The drone attack was blamed on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been engaged in heavy fighting with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023, triggering one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
Appalling Attack
On Sunday, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, expressed outrage over the attack in South Kordofan. In a statement, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said that Guterres was “appalled” by reports of the drone strikes which killed civilians, including dozens of children, in Sudan.
A drone attack of at least three separate strikes targeted the SAF-controlled town of Kalogi in the South Kordofan state on Thursday, hitting a kindergarten, a hospital and rescue teams. The latest reports put the death toll at over 100 – nearly half of them children.
In the light of this, the UN Secretary-General condemned “all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure,” stating that the targeting of schools and hospitals “may constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law.” He urged the warring parties to “respect and protect civilians” in Sudan and allow unhindered access for humanitarian relief.
Kordofan Humanitarian Crisis
The Kordofan region, including North, South, and West Kordofan, has become a battlefield for fierce fighting between the RSF and the SAF, particularly after the RSF captured all the 5 states of Darfur region.
The paramilitary group is trying to seize Kordofan, which serves as a strategic corridor that links Khartoum and central Sudan to Darfur, to consolidate its power and make inroads into the capital.
Amid intensified battles and siege, the humanitarian conditions have rapidly deteriorated in the Kordofan region, with famine conditions confirmed in South Kordofan’s state capital, Kadugli, the UN noted, warning of a repetition of El-Fasher scenario.
The UN Secretary-General also denounced an aerial strike in North Kordofan, which hit a humanitarian convoy transporting food supplies to North Darfur.
Guterres called on all countries with influence on the warring sides to “take immediate action and use their leverage to compel an immediate halt to the fighting and stop the arms flows that are fueling the conflict.”
Moreover, he called the parties to agree on an immediate truce and resume talks to reach a “lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process.”
AU Condemnation
The AU has strongly condemned the drone attack in South Kordofan’s Kalogi as a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law.”
In a statement on Sunday, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said he “is appalled by the repeated and escalating atrocities committed against civilians in the region,” expressing deep concern over reports of air and drone strikes, and assaults on civilian infrastructure.
Furthermore, he called on the warring parties to agree to “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire” to end the bloodshed in Sudan, urging for unhindered humanitarian access.
Sudan Conflict
The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people, displacing over 12 million inside Sudan and to neighboring countries, and pushed parts of the country into famine amid cholera outbreaks.
It has also split the country in two, as the SAF controls the center, north and east, while the RSF holds the entire Darfur region and parts of Kordofan, with each side declaring a government.
Diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end have faltered. In November, US President Donald Trump announced he would intervene to end the war, at the request of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Although SAF leader, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, welcomed the initiative, he rejected any peace plans that involve the RSF. He has also voiced strong opposition to the UAE being part of the Quad group, which also includes the US, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The UAE has been accused by the SAF and UN experts of supplying the RSF with weapons and mercenaries – allegations that Abu Dhabi has consistently denied.
