Sudan Doctors Network: RSF Drone Strike Killed 3 Aid Workers in South Kordofan

A drone strike on a humanitarian convoy in Sudan’s South Kordofan underscores the mounting dangers facing aid operations as the country’s civil war enters another year marked by siege warfare, aerial attacks, and deepening international scrutiny.

Drone Warfare And Aid Risks

The Sudan Doctors Network said the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), alongside the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N, al-Hilu faction), targeted an aid convoy in the Kartala area on Thursday.

According to the network, the attack killed three aid workers and injured four others. Humanitarian trucks carrying food and relief supplies were destroyed by drones while en route to Kadugli and Al-Dilling.

In a statement, the Sudan Doctors Network said: “The network strongly condemned the deliberate targeting of humanitarian convoys, describing it as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

It added that this was the “second such incident in less than a month,” referencing the shelling of a United Nations convoy in Al-Rahad.

The reported strike occurred as supply routes into parts of South Kordofan were reopening after a blockade described by the network as lasting nearly three years.

Dilling sits between Kadugli, the state capital, and el-Obeid in neighboring North Kordofan, where UAE-linked RSF’s use of drones have complicated aid convoy security.

Genocide Findings Intensify Scrutiny

The convoy strike coincides with heightened international focus on RSF massacre in Darfur. On Wednesday, the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan concluded that RSF actions during the 18-month siege of el-Fasher bore “the hallmarks of genocide.”

Investigators said at least three of the five genocide criteria were met, including killings of protected groups, causing serious bodily and mental harm, and inflicting conditions calculated to bring about physical destruction.

Following the UN findings, the United States announced sanctions on RSF commanders Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam, Major-General Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed, and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, citing their roles in what Washington called a “horrific campaign.”

Pattern Of Aid Convoy Attacks

The Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) had earlier condemned attacks on relief deliveries. In June, the HAC criticized RSF militias for striking a World Food Programme (WFP) United Nations convoy in el-Fasher, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law and urging all parties to ensure safe aid delivery.

Aid organizations warn that repeated incidents threaten the continuity of life saving operations.

The network called on “the international community, the United Nations, and human rights organizations to exert urgent and effective pressure” to protect humanitarian corridors and hold perpetrators accountable.