KHARTOUM, March 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and 23 others injured in a drone strike by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and an allied movement on the city of Dilling in southern Sudan's South Kordofan State, according to volunteers and eyewitnesses on Sunday.
The Sudan Doctors Network, a volunteer group, said the victims included five children and two women, while seven children were among the injured, adding that the attack was carried out by the RSF and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North on Saturday evening.
The attacks happened "as the city has been subjected to intense shelling for the second consecutive day amid severe shortages of medical staff and supplies," the volunteer group said.
"The shelling was concentrated in residential neighborhoods, destroying more than eight houses," eyewitnesses told Xinhua.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said they repelled an RSF attack on the city on Saturday. In a statement, it said its forces engaged in "fierce" battles, destroying 36 combat vehicles and seizing four others.
The SAF announced on Jan. 26 that it had entered Dilling, South Kordofan's second-largest city, after a siege of over two years.
The RSF has not commented on the developments yet.
The Kordofan region has recently seen intensified military operations, including increased drone strikes and shelling, causing civilian casualties and worsening the humanitarian situation.
The developments came amid the ongoing conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions inside Sudan and abroad, according to international estimates. ■
