Drone attacks kill over 100 civilians across war-torn Sudan’s Kordofan

Al Jazeera:

At least 104 civilians have been killed in drone attacks across Sudan’s Kordofan region as fighting between rival military factions reached deadly new heights in the brutal civil war deep into its third year.

The attacks have battered the central region since early December, right up to Friday, following the capture of a significant army base by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Babnusa after a week of intense fighting.

The escalation has displaced tens of thousands and overwhelmed health facilities already strained by cholera and dengue outbreaks, as the main fighting shifts from Darfur in the west to the vast central region of Kordofan.

The deadliest attack was reported from a kindergarten and a hospital in Kalogi, South Kordofan, where 89 people were killed, including 43 children and eight women. United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said he was “alarmed by the further intensification in hostilities” and warned that targeting medical facilities violates international humanitarian law.

Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers serving with the UN mission were killed when drones hit their base in Kadugli, South Kordofan’s capital, on December 13. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned what he termed “horrific drone attacks”, noting that attacks on peacekeepers “may constitute war crimes under international law”.

A day later, Dilling Military Hospital came under fire, with casualty figures varying. The Sudan Doctors Network reported nine deaths and 17 injuries, calling it “systematic targeting of health institutions”.