In brief
When a group of displaced civilians moved between Bani Shako and Damazin, a drone strike brought nine deaths and injuries, according to a local official. The attack was blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces amid intensified air operations by the Sudanese Armed Forces. The incident underscores the escalating civilian toll of the ongoing conflict that has displaced millions and destabilized local institutions.
When a convoy of displaced civilians was traveling north from the village of Bani Shako toward Damazin, a drone struck the group on Tuesday, killing nine people and leaving a number of others wounded, Kurmuk Commissioner Abdel Ati Mohamed al‑Faki said on the phone to Xinhua.
The commissioner identified the Rapid Support Forces(RSF), a paramilitary wing of Sudan’s intelligence service, as the operator of the drone, adding that the attack occurred amid the rapid expansion of air operations by the Sudanese Armed Forces(SAF) against RSF positions in the region.
Both Xinhua and Sudan Tribune corroborated the casualty count, reporting that the strike, which targeted a residential gathering, left nine civilians dead and several injured. The Sudan Tribune source also noted that the same drone strike was part of a broader pattern of RSF attacks on civilian infrastructure across the Blue Nile region.
According to the Reuters‑style report, the SAF had already increased its aerial campaign against RSF and its ally in the Southern Sudan region, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement‑North(SPLM‑N), after the RSF moved nearer to the provincial capital of Damazin. The heightened air activity has intensified fear among local populations and complicated the already precarious process of relocation.
The incident highlights a broader trend that has emerged over the last several months: drone attacks on villages and crowds in the Kurmuk area have escalated dramatically. These assaults have not only caused civilian casualties but also triggered new waves of displacement, with refugees seeking safety in Damazin and other safer towns.
The conflict that has been raged between the SAF and the RSF since mid‑April 2023 has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and pushed millions either into camps inside Sudan or across international borders. The displacement crisis means that the majority of casualties like those in this recent strike are not ordinary citizens, but “unarmed, things‑in‑need‑to‑survive” people who have no protection against such strikes.
Residents of Bani Shako, who had begun the journey the morning it was struck, described the convoy as largely composed of women, children and elderly. The report from an Eastleigh voice outlet stated that the paramilitary group had been actively pursuing displaced populations through ground and drone attacks, as well as looting their belongings, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
These developments raise serious questions about accountability for the RSF and the SAF. International legal observers note that the use of drones to strike civilian gatherings is considered a violation of international humanitarian law. Yet neither the RSF nor the SAF has formally acknowledged responsibility for the strike, leaving displaced civilians and their families without a clear avenue for justice.
For the communities in the Blue Nile State, the impacts are immediate and far‑reaching. The loss of nine lives in a single attack reverberates through small neighborhoods, where the loss of a family member can mean the loss of a primary breadwinner or a main caregiver. Moreover, the growing pattern of drone attacks undermines the trust that local populations have in both the state’s security structures and international humanitarian agencies that provide aid.
In the aftermath, local authorities have called for increased security measures for routes that displaced populations use. There have also been appeals for a coordinated ceasefire in the region that would prevent further aerial incidents and allow the displaced to carry out humanitarian operations without fear.
As the conflict continues, the ripple effects of denied accountability, heightened insecurity and continuous displacement threaten to destabilize not only the local institutions but also the broader democratic aspirations of Sudan. The story of nine dead civilians is, in the eyes of many civil society groups, a stark reminder that the armed conflict has turned a once vibrant region into a
