3 children killed, 4 injured in paramilitary attack in Sudan's Omdurman: volunteer group

KHARTOUM, May 8 (Xinhua) -- At least three children were killed and four others injured on Thursday in a drone strike by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Omdurman city, northwest of Sudan's capital Khartoum, according to a volunteer group.

"An RSF drone struck a home in District 16, west of Omdurman, killing three children and injuring four others, who were transferred to the hospital for medical treatment," the Sudanese Doctors Network, a volunteer group, said in a statement.

The group condemned the RSF's targeting of populated areas in Omdurman and several other cities, which has resulted in the killing of unarmed civilians, particularly women and children, describing it as "a violation of all laws of war and international law."

The network noted that the RSF has escalated the use of drones over the past two weeks and deliberately struck civilian infrastructure, directly impacting civilians and exacerbating their suffering.

The group called on the international community to pressure the RSF to halt these violations and open safe corridors for besieged areas in Kordofan and Darfur.

Meanwhile, the non-governmental medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said, "Today at 11:30 a.m. local time (0930 GMT), a reported drone strike in Dar El Salaam, Omdurman, inflicted tragic casualties among civilians."

"Several injured, mostly children, were rushed to the MSF-sponsored Al Nao hospital, including two young girls who were declared dead on arrival," the MSF said on social platform X, noting that more injured are being brought to the hospital.

Also on Thursday, local media reported that RSF drones targeted locations in Port Sudan, which has become the de facto administrative center of the country since May 2023, while activists shared videos on social media showing oil depots burning in Kosti city, White Nile State, after being struck early Thursday morning.

The RSF has not commented on these incidents so far.

In recent days, the RSF has intensified drone strikes on military sites and critical infrastructure in areas controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, with the exact toll unable to be verified. The International Organization for Migration estimates that over 15 million people have been displaced, both within Sudan and abroad. Enditem