Drone Attack Kills 27 in Southeast Sudan, According to Report

Sudanese Paramilitary Forces Launch Drone Attack on Army Base in Sinja City

A drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted a Sudanese army base in the southeastern city of Sinja on Monday, resulting in the deaths of 27 people. The attack occurred as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) announced their return to the capital, Khartoum, after three years of being based in Port Sudan.

The SAF and RSF have been engaged in a civil war since April 2023, with Khartoum serving as a central area of dispute. The attack on Monday targeted not only government leaders but also security teams and civilians accompanying them. The extent of the casualties is unclear, with reports ranging from 13 to 73 injured people.

Qamar al-Din Fadl al-Mawla, the governor of Sudan’s White Nile state, was among the officials in Sinja at the time of the attack. He survived, but two colleagues were reportedly killed. The RSF has claimed that the drone attack was intended as a warning to military leaders, while the Sennar state government described the SAF as repelling the attack.

The city of Sinja is strategically located along a key route to Khartoum and houses the headquarters of the SAF’s 17th Infantry Division. The RSF has been involved in a series of air and ground operations in the Kordofan and Darfur regions, where they have clashed with the SAF. The conflict has resulted in significant humanitarian consequences, including widespread displacement and starvation.

The war has now entered its third year, with the SAF renewing efforts to retake the Kordofan and Darfur regions from the RSF. The conflict has forced an estimated 13.6 million people from their homes, creating one of the world’s largest displacement crises.

Source: Al Jazeera