KHARTOUM, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 24 people were killed in a drone attack that targeted a truck carrying displaced civilians in north Sudan's North Kordofan State, according to a local government official and a volunteer group.
"Twenty-four displaced individuals were killed and dozens injured when a drone belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck a truck transporting them inside the city," Mohamed Musaad Siddiq, the Humanitarian Aid Coordinator in Al-Rahad city, told Xinhua on Saturday.
According to Siddiq, the vehicle, carrying more than 100 displaced people, was traveling from the Dibaikir area to Al-Rahad. Most casualties were women and children.
In the meantime, the Sudan Doctors Network, a voluntary group, said the killed included women and eight children, two of whom were infants, describing the attack as a "new massacre."
Targeting unarmed civilians, particularly those fleeing conflict zones, the group said, constitutes "a full-fledged war crime and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law."
The group called on the international community and human rights organizations to take urgent action to protect civilians, hold those responsible accountable, secure safe routes for the displaced, and ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance.
Over the past two days, drone attacks have intensified in North Kordofan State. On Friday, the United Nations said in a statement that a World Food Programme convoy came under attack by a drone in the state.
The RSF has intensified its campaign across the Kordofan region since October 2025, following its capture of El Fasher, the last major army stronghold in neighboring Darfur.
Sudan has been engulfed in a power struggle between the SAF and RSF since mid-April 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands and created the world's largest displacement crisis. ■