Sudan drone strikes wound dozens and force MSF withdrawal from parts of Darfur
Edited By: Africa Eye
Drone strikes linked to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have intensified in several regions, raising concerns over civilian safety and humanitarian access. A Sudanese military source reported that an RSF drone targeted the city of Al-Duweim in White Nile state, while the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it recently treated dozens of people wounded in similar attacks.
MSF announced that its teams provided care to 167 injured individuals following drone strikes carried out across the Kordofan and Darfur regions during the first half of February. According to the organisation, patients suffered penetrating chest and abdominal wounds, multiple limb fractures, head injuries and shrapnel wounds caused by drone explosions.
The humanitarian group also reported that civilian areas and essential infrastructure — including schools, markets, healthcare facilities and water sources — have been struck by drone attacks attributed to both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. MSF warned that such operations expose civilians and humanitarian workers to severe risk and called for immediate measures to ensure their protection.
Fighting between the two sides has continued for months across North, West and South Kordofan as well as Darfur, further worsening the humanitarian situation.
MSF said it was forced to withdraw from the towns of Kornoy and Al-Tina in North Darfur after drone strikes made it impossible to guarantee the safety of its staff. The suspension of activities has halted critical medical and humanitarian services in those areas, leaving residents with limited access to care.
The developments followed reports from the Sudan Doctors Network that three aid workers were killed and four others injured when a humanitarian convoy in South Kordofan was targeted by drones. The network accused the RSF of carrying out the attack alongside a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, claiming several aid trucks carrying food and supplies were destroyed while en route to Kadugli and Dilling.
Sudanese authorities and rights groups have repeatedly accused the RSF of targeting civilian infrastructure, allegations the group does not publicly address, maintaining that its operations aim to protect civilians.
Since the war erupted in April 2023, Sudan has faced one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with fighting contributing to famine in some areas, tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of roughly 13 million people.
