Link to Article: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-war-rsf-military-drone-schoolgirls-e1e102861f0d4cc193a51669f297c670
A deadly drone strike in southern Sudan has killed at least 17 people, most of them schoolgirls, after an explosive‑laden unmanned aircraft struck a secondary school and a nearby health care center in the village of Shukeiri in the White Nile province. Local hospital officials said about ten others were wounded, with three girls seriously injured; one was evacuated to the capital, Khartoum, for treatment. Medical groups and local doctors reported that two teachers and a health worker were among the dead, and noted there was no military presence in the village at the time of the attack. Both the Sudan Doctors Network and hospital staff blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the strike, although the RSF has not publicly responded to the accusations. This incident is part of Sudan’s ongoing civil war, which began in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese military. The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions.
This drone strike in Sudan marks yet another attack on civilians during the ongoing Sudanese Civil War. While both sides have conducted these terroristic drone strikes, the RSF has been the most prominent when it comes to civilian casualties. As both sides continue to show no interest in negotiations or mediation, this war is likely to continue to devastate the region with no realistic end in sight. The repeated use of drone terrorism should be seen as an urgent humanitarian threat, though regional and global powers have generally chosen to keep their distance.
With no intentions on negotiating with one another, the RSF and SAF will stay in conflict. Much of this conflict is likely to involve further civilian based targeting and drone attacks which will drive the casualty and displacement rate even further. Regional spillover is also possible as territorial claims push closer into South Sudan. Mediation efforts are likely to persist, though with little success. The United States along with the UN has made several attempts at proposals and ceasefires, but efforts have remained unsuccessful. The RSF will, as usual, deny involvement in the school attack in an effort to minimize backlash while the SAF may conduct similar retaliatory strikes on the RSF.
The several year long conflict in Sudan highlights the instability and insecurity brought by rebel groups. The RSF acts as a rebel group to the official Sudanese Government, though both groups have lost legitimacy over the course of the war. While a rebel group at its cause, both groups have also demonstrated terrorism based methods, largely targeting civilians on either side as seen in this article’s drone strike. From an international perspective, their methods of war make it difficult for them to gain support from global powers that may be able to provide mediation. That said, the RSF does receive some level of partnership from the UAE. Ultimately, because both sides are conducting horrific civilian attacks, the potential for humanitarian efforts is limited.