A deadly Sudan drone attack has killed at least 17 people, including students, teachers and health workers, after a drone strike reportedly carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces targeted a school and a health centre in southern Sudan’s White Nile region. The White Nile State attack occurred in the village of Shukeiri on March 12, according to medical officials and local health authorities.
The RSF drone strike also left at least ten people injured, many of them civilians caught in the blast when the drone hit facilities used by students and medical workers. Doctors at nearby hospitals confirmed that victims included female students who were present at the secondary school at the time of the Sudan drone attack.
Officials from the Sudanese Doctors Network described the incident as part of a pattern of escalating violence against civilian targets in White Nile State.
RSF drone strike targets school and medical facility
Local medical authorities said the RSF drone strike struck both a secondary school and a nearby health centre in the rural village, causing casualties among civilians seeking education and healthcare. Musa Al-Majri, director of al-Duwaim Hospital, the nearest major medical facility, reported that at least ten injured people had been transported for treatment following the White Nile State attack.
According to medical responders and aid workers, the Sudan drone attack reflects an intensifying campaign by the Rapid Support Forces in areas outside the capital. Over recent days, multiple civilian sites including dormitories, power facilities and residential neighbourhoods have reportedly been hit in the region.
Humanitarian observers say the repeated targeting of civilian infrastructure raises concerns about potential violations of international humanitarian law during the conflict.
Sudan civil war enters third year amid worsening humanitarian crisis
The White Nile State attack comes as Sudan’s brutal civil war approaches its third year, with fighting continuing between the Rapid Support Forces and the national army, the Sudanese Armed Forces.
After being pushed out of the capital Khartoum in March 2025, the RSF shifted its military campaign toward the Kordofan region and parts of Darfur. The group later captured the strategic city of el-Fasher, which had been one of the Sudanese army’s final strongholds in the region.
Following the fall of the city, reports emerged accusing the RSF of mass killings, abductions and widespread looting. These allegations prompted the International Criminal Court to open investigations into alleged war crimes committed by both sides in the conflict.
A recent report from the United Nations suggested that atrocities committed in Darfur show characteristics that could amount to genocide.
Millions displaced as Sudan drone attack highlights deepening crisis
The latest Sudan drone attack highlights the growing humanitarian catastrophe unfolding across the country. Aid agencies say the conflict has already killed thousands and displaced millions of civilians who have been forced to flee their homes.
According to data from the World Food Programme, more than 21 million people in Sudan currently face severe food shortages, representing nearly 41 percent of the population. Meanwhile, around 12 million people have been displaced internally or across borders due to the fighting.
Analysts warn that continued RSF drone strikes and escalating battles between rival forces could deepen the humanitarian disaster and further destabilize the region.
While international attention has recently focused on rising tensions in the Middle East, experts caution that Sudan’s war remains one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. The White Nile State attack has once again underscored the vulnerability of civilians caught in the conflict as the war continues with no immediate political resolution in sight.
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