Sudan07 February, 20262 min read
Rapid Support Forces Massacre 24 Displaced Civilians, Including Eight Children, in Drone Strike Near Rahad, North Kordofan
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Rapid Support Forces drone struck a vehicle carrying displaced families near Rahad, North Kordofan Attack killed at least 24 displaced civilians, including eight children (two infants)
5 outlets told this the same way.
Drone strike kills civilians
A drone strike on Saturday near Rahad (also spelled Er‑Rahad) in North Kordofan killed at least 24 displaced civilians, including eight children, two of whom were infants, when it hit a vehicle carrying families fleeing fighting in the Dubeiker/Dubeiker area, the Sudan Doctors Network said. Multiple outlets attributed the strike to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and reported that the passengers had been fleeing recent fighting in the area. The incident was widely reported by regional and international outlets, which cited the same casualty figures and source attribution.
“At least 24 displaced civilians, including eight children (two infants), were killed on Saturday when a drone attack struck a vehicle carrying families fleeing fighting near Dubeiker, close to Er-Rahad in North Kordofan, Sudan, the Sudan Doctors Network said.”
Drone strikes in North Kordofan
Reports say the incident is part of a wider pattern of RSF drone strikes across North Kordofan targeting humanitarian convoys, fuel trucks and relief vehicles. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said a dawn strike hit three trucks in Er-Rahad.
Local reporting said a second attack in the Allah Kareem/Es Samih area damaged multiple vehicles, including some carrying UN relief supplies. Local authorities and medical groups linked Friday's separate strikes to the same campaign and said they killed and wounded aid workers and civilians.
Condemnation and accountability calls
Local authorities and humanitarian agencies responded with condemnation and calls for accountability. North Kordofan’s government condemned recent attacks — including one on a convoy linked to the World Food Programme — and urged the international community and U.N. bodies to impose sanctions on RSF leadership. The Sudan Doctors Network and other medical groups publicly attributed the strike to the RSF; Al Jazeera records the Doctors Network calling the attack a blatant breach of international humanitarian law.
“The North Kordofan government condemned a recent attack on a convoy linked to the World Food Programme and called on the international community and U.N. bodies to sanction RSF leaders.”
Media coverage of Kordofan
Reporting differs in scope and severity. Some outlets add wider conflict context; iwcp.net (Other) notes intensified fighting across Kordofan since October 2025 after the fall of el-Fasher and cites a U.N. description that atrocities have turned the area into a 'crime scene'. Al Jazeera (West Asian) combines immediate casualty reporting with legal condemnation.
The Washington Post (Western Mainstream) focuses on the confirmed strike and casualties in its brief piece. tv360nigeria (Other) highlights both the humanitarian impact and local government appeals for sanctions.
