Attack on Refugee Bus in Northern Sudan’s Kordofan Leaves 24 Dead
Sudan Doctors Network reports that at least 24 people were killed in an attack by Rapid Support Forces on a bus carrying fleeing refugees in Northern Kordofan state. According to the report, several of the victims were women and children who were targeted while attempting to escape the conflict zones.
The organization stated that the bus was transporting civilians, and targeting it has raised serious concerns about the protection of civilian lives amid the Sudanese war. Sudan Doctors Network has not provided further details regarding the identity of the victims.
Simultaneously, UN-affiliated sources have reported casualties following an attack on a humanitarian food convoy in Northern Kordofan. According to these sources, the attack took place while the aid convoy was en route, resulting in several trucks carrying food supplies catching fire and the aid being completely destroyed.
Previously, Sudan Doctors Network reported that a drone strike on a World Food Programme aid convoy in North Kordofan killed one person and injured three others. During that incident, relief trucks were targeted in the areas of Allah Kareem, Al-Sumaih, Al-Rahd, and also within the city of Um Ruwaba.
The Network stated that these trucks were on their way to deliver aid to refugees in the city of Al-Ubayyid, and targeting them constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law—laws established to protect civilians and ensure access to life-saving assistance. The organization has called for independent and transparent investigations and immediate measures to protect aid workers and prevent impunity for those responsible for these attacks.
The Rapid Support Forces have not yet responded to these incidents. Armed clashes in Sudan began in April 2023 between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemetti. So far, international mediation efforts to end the conflict have yielded no tangible results.
