Drones struck the town of Kalogi in South Kordofan state, controlled by the Sudanese army, killing dozens of civilians, including children, according to a local official. The attack is attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (FSR).

Published on: 07/12/2025 - 09:06

An attack carried out by drones belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit the army-controlled town of Kalogi in Sudan's South Kordofan state, killing dozens of civilians, including children, a local official told AFP on Sunday (December 7).

Three strikes were carried out during this attack on Thursday, hitting "first a nursery school, then a hospital", then "people who were trying to rescue the children", Essam al-Din al-Sayed, head of the Kalogi administrative unit, told AFP via a Starlink connection.

He blamed the attack on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the army since April 2023, and their allies in the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu.

“A horrible violation of children’s rights”

The United Nations children's agency said Thursday that the attack killed more than ten children aged 5 to 7, while the military-aligned Foreign Ministry put the death toll at 79, including 43 children.

Independent verification of information from the Kordofan region remains difficult due to access restrictions and continued insecurity.

“Killing children in their school is a horrible violation of children's rights,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative in Sudan, urging all parties to stop attacks and allow humanitarian access.

After taking El-Facher, the army's last stronghold in western Sudan, at the end of October, the RSF pushed their offensive into the oil-rich region of Kordofan, further east.

According to the UN, more than 40,000 people have fled the region in the past month.

Analysts say the paramilitary push is aimed at breaking the army's defensive arc around central Sudan and preparing the ground to try to retake major cities, including Khartoum, recaptured by the army in the spring.

Since April 2023, fighting in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people, forced the displacement of 12 million people and plunged the country into the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.

With AFP

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