KHARTOUM (Realist English). At least 104 civilians have been killed in a wave of drone attacks across Sudan’s Kordofan region, marking a sharp escalation in the country’s civil war now entering its third year, according to local officials and the United Nations.
The strikes, reported from early December through Friday, followed the capture of a major army base in Babnusa by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after a week of heavy fighting. The violence signals a shift in the conflict’s epicentre from Darfur in the west toward Sudan’s vast central regions.
The deadliest incident occurred in Kalogi, South Kordofan, where a kindergarten and a hospital were hit, killing 89 people, including 43 children and eight women. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said he was “alarmed by the further intensification in hostilities” and stressed that attacks on medical facilities constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
On December 13, drones struck a UN base in Kadugli, South Kordofan’s capital, killing six Bangladeshi peacekeepers. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned what he described as “horrific drone attacks”, warning that assaults on peacekeepers may amount to war crimes.
A day later, Dilling Military Hospital was also targeted. The Sudan Doctors Network reported nine deaths and 17 injuries, accusing the attackers of the “systematic targeting of health institutions”. UN officials gave a slightly lower toll, confirming six dead and 12 wounded, many of them medical staff.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), aligned with the internationally recognised government, have blamed the RSF for the attacks. The paramilitary group has not publicly responded.
Beyond the immediate casualties, the fighting has triggered a growing humanitarian emergency. North Kordofan’s Health Minister Iman Malik said the state has recorded more than 13,600 cholera cases and 730 dengue infections, while nearly a third of health facilities are no longer operational due to the conflict.
More than 40,000 people have fled North Kordofan, and civilians remain trapped in besieged cities such as Kadugli and Dilling. In Heglig, an oil-producing area briefly captured by the RSF before being handed to South Sudan’s army under a tripartite arrangement, nearly 2,000 people were displaced to White Nile state.
The violence in Kordofan follows the RSF’s seizure of el-Fasher in October, the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in Darfur. A recent report by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab said RSF fighters killed civilians attempting to flee el-Fasher and then systematically concealed evidence by burying, burning or removing bodies.
The escalation comes as diplomatic efforts to revive peace talks resume. SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on December 15, signalling readiness to work with U.S. President Donald Trump on peace initiatives. A day later, Egypt and the United States jointly rejected “any attempts to divide Sudan” and called for a comprehensive ceasefire.
Sudan has topped the International Rescue Committee’s Emergency Watchlist for three consecutive years. Since the war began in April 2023, more than 40,000 people have been killed according to UN estimates, though aid groups say the real number is likely far higher. Over 14 million people have been displaced, making Sudan the site of what the UN describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
