Full story
Drone strike kills displaced families
On Feb. 7, a drone strike hit a vehicle carrying displaced families near Rahad (Er Rahad) in North Kordofan, central Sudan, killing at least 24 people, including eight children, two of them infants, according to the Sudan Doctors Network and multiple news reports.
“A drone strike by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit a vehicle carrying displaced families near Rahad in North Kordofan on Saturday, killing at least 24 people — including eight children (two infants) — and wounding several others, the Sudan Doctors Network said.”
Survivors and medical sources say several others were wounded and taken to Rahad, which is suffering severe shortages of medical supplies amid ongoing fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Fleeing passengers, aid appeal
Witnesses and medical groups said the passengers had been fleeing fighting in the Dubeiker area.
Many of the wounded were taken to Rahad, where hospitals are reportedly running out of supplies.
Medical organizations and human-rights groups urged the international community and rights bodies to intervene, call for accountability, and protect civilians and humanitarian workers.
Attacks on aid convoys
The Rahad attack occurred amid related assaults on humanitarian convoys in North Kordofan.
“In a separate drone attack on a World Food Programme aid convoy at Allah Kareem en route to El Obeid, one person was killed, others wounded and the food consignment destroyed.”
Reporting says a WFP convoy was struck the previous day, killing at least one person.
The attack damaged or burned trucks and destroyed food supplies intended for displaced people.
U.N. and U.S. officials have condemned strikes on aid convoys.
Some outlets highlighted specific U.S. comments demanding accountability for attacks on U.S.-funded aid.
Disputed drone strike responsibility
Attribution of the drone strikes varies across reports.
Sudanese medical and legal groups, including the Sudan Doctors Network and Emergency Lawyers, directly blamed the RSF and described the incidents as violations of international humanitarian law, with some outlets calling the Rahad attack a 'new massacre' or a war crime.
The RSF either denied responsibility, calling the accusations disinformation in some reports, or made no immediate comment in others.
Sudan humanitarian crisis overview
Sources place the attack within a broader humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.
“The incident comes amid the wider war between Sudan’s army and the RSF since April 2023, which has killed tens of thousands, displaced about 11 million people and pushed parts of the country toward famine...”
Reports cite millions displaced, rising disease and hunger, and chronic shortages of medical supplies and limited access for aid.
Estimates and emphasis vary — some outlets cite roughly 11 million displaced and an escalating famine risk, while others report over 14 million displaced.
All sources frame the strike as aggravating an already massive crisis and renewing calls for international action and protections for civilians and aid workers.