An explosive-laden drone blamed on Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces struck a secondary school and health center in southern Sudan Wednesday, killing at least 17 people, mostly schoolgirls, in the latest attack targeting civilian infrastructure.
The strike hit the village of Shukeiri in White Nile province, killing two teachers and one health care worker along with the students, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. At least 10 people were wounded in the attack, with three girls suffering serious injuries requiring surgery.
Dr. Musa al-Majeri, director of the Douiem Hospital, told the Associated Press that two of the critically injured girls underwent surgeries at his facility while a third was evacuated to the capital, Khartoum. The medical group reported no military presence in the village at the time of the strike.
Both al-Majeri and the Sudan Doctors Network blamed the RSF for the attack. The paramilitary group did not respond to requests for comment.
"This horrific crime represents a continuation of the violations committed by the RSF in the White Nile," said Dr. Razan Al-Mahdi, a spokeswoman for the Sudan Doctors Network.
Al-Mahdi said the paramilitaries had attacked several civilian facilities in recent days, including a student dormitory and a power station, according to the Associated Press.
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The attack underscores the RSF's systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure throughout Sudan's devastating conflict, which began in April 2023 when tensions between the military and the RSF erupted into open warfare. The deliberate use of explosive-laden drones against schools and health facilities represents an escalation in tactics that violates international humanitarian law.
The war has killed more than 40,000 people according to U.N. figures, though aid groups say the true toll could be many times higher. Fighting has been particularly intense in the Kordofan region, where deadly drone attacks are reported daily. The conflict has been marked by mass killings, sexual violence, and other atrocities that the International Criminal Court is investigating as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The RSF's October assault on the Darfur city of el-Fasher killed at least 6,000 people in three days, with U.N.-commissioned experts saying the attack bore "hallmarks of genocide." The broader conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with millions displaced and facing famine conditions across Sudan and neighboring countries in the Horn of Africa..
