Drone Attack From Sudan Kills At Least 15 People in Tiné, Chad

A drone attack from Sudan killed at least 15 people on Wednesday night in the border city of Tiné in Chad, according to sources cited by TRT Afrika and an AFP report.

“Khartoum (Fides) – Flights to and from the capital Khartoum remain suspended after drones targeted the airport and other areas of the city on May 5”

Agenzia Fides

TRT Afrika quoted a local senior official saying, "Nous déplorons entre 15 et 16 personnes tuées par un drone en provenance du Soudan" at Tiné, while an AFP military source confirmed, "16 personnes ont été tuées" by a "drone de FSR".

Agenzia Fides

The same TRT Afrika report said the conflict in Sudan, which has opposed since April 2023 the army and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (FSR), continued to spill into Chad as the government decided at the end of February to close its border after "incursions répétées" by armed groups involved in the war.

TRT Afrika also reported that a rocket launched from Sudan caused damage in late February in Tiné, where 15 military and 8 civilians had already died due to the conflict since the end of December.

In a separate Reuters account, a drone attack near the Sudanese border killed two Chadian soldiers at a military camp in the border town of Tine before dawn on Friday, and a Chad military intelligence officer said the drone originated from Sudan while confirming, "We are still confirming the origin of this drone."

In Sudan’s west, a drone attack on El-Daein University Hospital killed 64 people during Eid, the BBC reported, citing the WHO Director-General and the WHO’s count.

The BBC said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X, "Too much blood has been shed," urging the belligerents to end the conflict, while also reporting that the WHO said 64 people, including 13 children, two nurses and a doctor, died and 89 others were injured.

Al-Jazeera Net

The RSF claimed an army drone struck El-Daein Hospital on the day Muslims were celebrating Eid, while the Sudanese army denied carrying out the attack and said it respects international norms and laws.

The BBC also reported that the WHO said it had confirmed 2,036 people were killed in 213 attacks on health facilities over nearly three years of conflict, and that El-Daein University Hospital was now out of service following Friday night’s attack.

In the same BBC account, the RSF said the strike destroyed the hospital’s top floor and caused significant damage to the emergency department and vital medical equipment, while the Emergency Lawyers organization called for an independent and transparent investigation.

As fighting intensified around North Kordofan, the UN Security Council warned of a risk of mass atrocities in El Obeid and called on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to immediately halt its assault, the UN News report said.

“On Sunday, drones belonging to the Rapid Support Forces carried out attacks on markets and fuel stations in several cities across White Nile and North Kordofan states, while the European Union called on the RSF to stop its attacks on the city of Al-Abyad, the capital of North Kordofan”

Al-Jazeera Net

UN News reported that Council members expressed alarm over "substantial military reinforcements" by the RSF around El Obeid and warned of the risk of a potential ground offensive on the city, which is the capital of North Kordofan state.

The National reported that drone strikes hit power and water infrastructure, fuel stations and hospitals, disrupting essential services for about 500,000 residents, and it quoted Norway’s ambassador Tormod Endresen saying, "We are deeply concerned at the risk of imminent escalation on the ground, leaving approximately 500,000 civilians at risk."

The National also described how Al Obeid was plunged into darkness when RSF drones struck its main power station, and it said the attacks cut water supply to thousands of homes and halted work in several hospitals.

In a separate account of drone strikes in White Nile State, Sudan Horizon said RSF drones struck civilian facilities in Kosti, including a fuel station, killing one civilian and injuring 14 others, and it reported that Governor Lieutenant General Qamar Al-Din Mohamed Fadl Al-Mawla visited the targeted site and checked on the injured at Kosti Hospital and Al-Madina Hospital.