ling in. “We were leaving early in the morning with our children when suddenly there was a loud explosion,” said one survivor, speaking from a makeshift shelter in Al-Rahad. So many are dead and injured. We were just trying to find safety. Medical volunteers at a clinic in Al-Rahad said the dead included at least eight children. Injured civilians were being treated at overwhelmed local facilities, where doctors reported shortages of supplies, medicine and safe transport for the wounded. The Sudan Doctors Network, an independent group that tracks casualty figures in the conflict confirmed the death toll and described the incident as a grave violation of international humanitarian law. The group said many of the wounded were in critical condition. While responsibility for the strike has not been publicly claimed, local officials and displaced residents attributed it to forces aligned with the RSF, which has frequently used drones in offensives throughout central and western Sudan. The RSF did not immediately issue a response to requests for comment. The attack comes amid one of the deadliest phases of Sudan’s conflict, which began in April 2023 when a falling out between the country’s two dominant military factions plunged the nation into widespread violence. The fighting has since forced more than 14 million people from their homes and created severe humanitarian needs, according to United Nations agencies. In recent weeks, there have been repeated reports of aerial attacks on convoys of civilians and humanitarian vehicles, raising alarm among aid organisations and rights groups. An aid convoy struck earlier this week left food supplies destroyed and at least one aid worker dead, further complicating relief efforts in some of the hardest-to-reach areas of the country. International humanitarian organisations have condemned the attacks on non-combatants and called for all parties to respect protections afforded to civilians under international law. However, with limited access to active conflict zones and ongoing insecurity, independent verification of events on the ground remains challenging. Families displaced by the latest strike now face the dual crisis of physical injury and the loss of shelter, food and the limited belongings they carried with them. “We had nothing and now this,” one displaced mother said. Clutching her child outside the clinic. We were just trying to survive. Source: The Guardian