NAIROBI— At least 79 people, including 43 children, were killed when a drone strike hit a school, a hospital and nearby homes in the city of Kalogi in Sudan’s South Kordofan state, local authorities said, as fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces intensifies.
The South Kordofan government said a drone fired four missiles into the city, striking a densely populated area in addition to the education and health facilities. Officials described the attack as a “heinous crime” and blamed the Rapid Support Forces and an allied faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North for the strike.
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Authorities initially reported eight deaths, including six children and a teacher, before the death toll rose sharply as rescuers reached more victims. They appealed for urgent international intervention to halt the war and called for the RSF to be designated a terrorist organization.
The United Nations Children’s Fund condemned the strike as a horrific violation of children’s rights and said more than 10 of the victims were ages 5 to 7. “Children should never pay the price of conflict,” UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett said. “UNICEF urges all parties to stop these attacks immediately and allow safe, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to reach those in desperate need.”
“The killing and maiming of children, and attacks on schools and hospitals are grave violations of children’s rights,” UNICEF said in a statement.
The agency added that the strike comes amid a sharp deterioration in security across the Kordofan states since early November, driving displacement and deepening humanitarian needs. Humanitarian access across front lines has been repeatedly disrupted by clashes, checkpoints and active bombardments, aid agencies say.
Kalogi, in the Nuba Mountains area of South Kordofan, has seen sporadic violence since the nationwide conflict erupted in 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Fighting that began in the capital, Khartoum, has spread across multiple regions, including Darfur and Kordofan, drawing in allied armed groups and intensifying civilian suffering.
Local authorities in South Kordofan said the latest strike underscores the toll the war is exacting on civilians and essential services. Schools and hospitals have been repeatedly caught in the crossfire or directly targeted, they said, warning that continued attacks will push communities further into crisis and overwhelm already stretched medical facilities.
Casualty figures could rise as emergency workers comb through debris and evacuate the wounded, officials said. Communications in parts of South Kordofan are limited, complicating efforts to verify details and assess needs. The Axadle Times could not independently confirm the military source of the drone that carried out the attack.
Rights groups and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly urged both sides to implement a sustained ceasefire, protect civilians and allow unfettered humanitarian access. As families in Kalogi mourn dozens of children, the strike adds to mounting pressure on warring parties to halt hostilities and on international actors to support accountability for attacks on schools and hospitals.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
