40 children among 80 killed in drone strikes on Sudan hospital

PORT SUDAN - A recent paramilitary drone attack on the army-held town of Kalogi in Sudan's South Kordofan state hit a kindergarten and a hospital, killing dozens of civilians including children, a local official told on Sunday. The attack on Thursday involved three strikes, "first a kindergarten, then a hospital and a third time as people tried to rescue the children", Essam al-Din al-Sayed, head of the Kalogi administrative unit, told using a Starlink satellite internet connection.

He blamed the assault on the Rapid Support Forces and their ally, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North faction (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls much of South Kordofan and parts of Blue Nile state. The RSF did not respond to an request for comment. Since April 2023, the army and the paramilitary RSF have been locked in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million. Independent verification in Kordofan remains difficult due to spotty communications, restricted access and ongoing insecurity. The exact death toll from the Kalogi attack remains unclear. The local official reported at least 80 dead including 40 children, while the army-aligned foreign ministry gave a lower toll of 79. The African Union said the death toll exceeded 100. The UN children's agency meanwhile said the attack killed more than 10 children aged between five and seven. "Killing children in their school is a horrific violation of children's rights," UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett, said in a statement on Friday, urging all sides to stop their attacks and allow humanitarian aid. In a statement shared on X on Sunday, African Union chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned "in the strongest possible terms the horrific reported attacks" in Kalogi. He said he was "appalled by the repeated and escalating atrocities committed against civilians in the region". Following their late-October capture of El-Fasher -- the army's last stronghold in western Sudan --