Drone Strike Kills Five in Vehicle Near Khartoum Amid Sudan Conflict

Sudan's paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), killed at least five people in a drone attack that hit a civilian vehicle on the outskirts of Khartoum, ABC News reported, citing the local rights group Emergency Lawyers. The drone attack occurred on Saturday morning and targeted a vehicle traveling from the White Nile province to Omdurman, the sister city of Khartoum.

Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence against civilians, stated that the attack reflects continued targeting of civilians on public roads and in populated areas.

Emergency Lawyers condemned the drone attack and held the RSF responsible. “What happened was a brazen violation of international humanitarian law,” Emergency Lawyers said.

The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese Army for over three years. Khartoum has largely been spared attacks by the RSF since it was recaptured by the Sudanese Armed Forces last year, though the capital has recently seen sporadic strikes. At least 59,000 people have been killed in the war that broke out in April 2023, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, an independent conflict-monitoring body.

Aid groups state that the true toll could be much higher, as access to areas of fighting across the vast country remains limited.