A coordinated drone attack by paramilitary forces on a Sudanese village deliberately targeted children and medical staff, killing nine civilians in a calculated strike that violated international humanitarian law and exposed the brutal tactics fueling one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Story Snapshot
- Four Rapid Support Forces drones simultaneously struck a secondary school, hospital, and health center in White Nile state, killing eight high school students and one medical worker
- The attack represents the fourth consecutive day of RSF drone operations targeting civilian infrastructure across Sudan’s conflict zones
- Sudan Doctors Network condemned the strikes as systematic violations of international law that deprive civilians of essential healthcare and education
- Over 13 million Sudanese have been displaced since April 2023, with the conflict creating the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises
Coordinated Attack on Civilian Infrastructure
The Rapid Support Forces deployed four suicide drones against the village of Shukairi in Um Rimta locality during morning hours in late February 2026. The simultaneous strikes targeted three separate civilian facilities: a secondary school, a hospital, and a health center.
Eight high school students died in the coordinated assault alongside one medical staff member, while seventeen others sustained injuries of varying severity. The deliberate targeting of educational and medical facilities demonstrates a systematic strategy rather than collateral damage from military operations.
An explosive-laden drone blamed on Sudanese paramilitaries struck a secondary school and a health care center in southern Sudan, killing at least 17 people, mostly schoolgirls, a hospital official and a medical group said. https://t.co/g5QNHLqhI0
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 11, 2026
Pattern of Escalating Drone Warfare
This attack marked the fourth consecutive day of RSF drone operations in the region, part of an intensifying campaign across White Nile and Kordofan states. Earlier in February 2026, three health facilities in South Kordofan were targeted, killing thirty people according to World Health Organization documentation.
On February 16-17, an RSF drone strike at Al-Mazmoum Hospital in Sennar state killed three people and wounded seven, including medical personnel. The UN rights chief documented approximately ninety civilians killed and 142 injured in drone strikes by both warring parties over just two weeks, with attacks hitting World Food Programme convoys, markets, and residential areas.
Medical Community Condemns War Crimes
The Sudan Doctors Network held RSF leadership fully responsible for the hospital targeting, stating the attacks constitute blatant violations of international laws prohibiting strikes on medical centers and health workers. Medical professionals emphasized that such incidents deepen civilian suffering and deprive residents of access to essential care.
The World Health Organization warned on February 10, 2026, that Sudan’s health system faces renewed attacks, undermining an already deteriorating medical infrastructure. The targeting of medical staff alongside patients represents a deliberate strategy to disable healthcare systems serving vulnerable populations facing starvation and displacement.
Strategic Context Behind Civilian Targeting
The RSF has battled the Sudanese military since April 2023 over disputes related to force integration, with the conflict effectively splitting Sudan into two zones. The army controls the north, center, and east while the RSF dominates western regions.
Recent Sudanese army successes in breaking sieges on South Kordofan cities prompted the RSF to intensify attacks on supply lines and civilian areas. The Kordofan region represents the fiercest battlefield, with El-Rahad lying on a key axis linking El-Obeid to the White Nile river, the army’s main supply line to Khartoum.
Humanitarian Crisis Reaches Catastrophic Scale
The conflict has displaced approximately thirteen million people and killed tens of thousands since April 2023, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis. Over 115,000 people were forced from homes between October 2025 and February 2026 alone. Hundreds of thousands face starvation in Kordofan, where the RSF controls oil- and gold-rich territories.
The destruction of schools disrupts educational continuity while attacks on medical facilities accelerate healthcare system collapse. These strikes targeting civilian infrastructure directly attack the support systems necessary for population survival, compounding psychological trauma with material deprivation that threatens entire communities with displacement or death.
Sources:
3 killed, 7 injured in RSF drone strike at hospital in Sudan’s Sennar state
Nine dead as drone strike targets hospital, school in Sudan’s White Nile state
Sudan: RSF drone strike on school kills two children, medical source
