Sudan12 February, 20262 min read
RSF Drone Strike on Sheikh Ahmed al-Badawi Mosque in al‑Rahad Kills Two Children, Wounds at Least 13
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RSF drone strike killed two children and wounded 12–13 students; sources differ on injuries. Attack struck Sheikh Ahmed al‑Badawi mosque Qur'an memorization centre in al‑Rahad, North Kordofan.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Kordofan drone strike
A drone strike on the Sheikh Ahmed al-Badawi mosque in al‑Rahad (North Kordofan) hit a Qur’an memorization center at dawn, killing children and wounding others. The Sudan Doctors Network reported two children killed and at least 13 students injured. A Sudanese Armed Forces source gave a lower death toll of one child and said dozens were wounded.
“A drone strike on the Sheikh Ahmed al-Badawi Mosque in al-Rahad city, North Kordofan, killed two children and wounded at least 13 others as they were studying the Quran at dawn, medical sources and the Sudan Doctors Network said.”
The casualty figures reported by the Sudan Doctors Network and the Sudanese Armed Forces contradict each other. Local and medical sources described the attack as part of a recent surge in drone and aerial strikes on civilian areas across Kordofan. The incident was reported alongside claims that other strikes in the region have damaged humanitarian infrastructure and hit convoys.
Allegations over mosque strike
Multiple sources report that the Sudan Doctors’ Network blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the mosque strike and called the incident a dangerous escalation. One report said the RSF gave no immediate comment and that related military sources described active targeting between the army and the RSF elsewhere in Kordofan.
Al‑Jazeera quotes the doctors’ network as blaming the RSF "fully" and also includes the army’s claims that it was conducting strikes on RSF positions. Al‑Jazeera reports the army said it destroyed enemy drones and systems, presenting both the allegation of RSF responsibility and the army’s account of broader combat operations.
Humanitarian and displacement crisis
The mosque strike sits within a broader humanitarian and displacement crisis reported by the sources. İlke cites United Nations estimates that the three‑year war has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced over 12 million, warning of worsening famine-like conditions and repeated attacks on hospitals, schools and places of worship.
“The United Nations estimates the three-year war has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced over 12 million, and humanitarian groups warn of worsening famine-like conditions, attacks on hospitals, schools, places of worship and refugee sites.”
Al‑Jazeera supplements this with regional displacement figures from the International Organization for Migration, reporting about 115,223 people displaced from Kordofan since October, and notes intensified fighting around the strategic city of Bara. Arabnews adds that strikes have damaged a UN warehouse storing famine aid in Kadugli and hit a WFP convoy, underlining the immediate humanitarian impact on aid delivery.
Calls to protect civilians
Humanitarian actors and medical groups urged urgent international action to protect civilians, preserve the neutrality of religious and humanitarian sites, and open safe aid corridors. The Sudan Doctors Network called on the international community and rights bodies to protect civilians, open safe aid corridors, and hold perpetrators accountable.
Al-Jazeera reproduced that call and framed it amid ongoing clashes. These sources collectively stress the need for protection and accountability but do not record an international response in the available snippets.
Al-Rahad strike reports
The snippets consistently report that children were killed and students wounded in a strike on a Quranic education site in al-Rahad. They differ on exact casualty counts and on emphasis. Medical and aid sources stress civilian harm and calls for protection.
“The Sudan Doctors’ Network said the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the strike, blaming the RSF ‘fully’ and reporting two children killed and 13 students injured; a Sudanese Armed Forces source gave a lower death toll (one child) but said dozens were wounded.”
Army sources describe ongoing strikes on RSF positions. Some reports draw attention to damage to UN/WFP aid assets.
The available material does not include an RSF comment or an international response. Those omissions and the casualty discrepancies should be noted as uncertainties in the record.