At least three killed, several injured in RSF drone attack in central Sudan | Sudan war news

The paramilitary force intensified its offensive in the Kordofan region after taking control of Darfur in October.

At least three people were killed and nine others wounded when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone attack on a central Sudanese town, as fighting intensifies in the vast strategic region of Kordofan that could decide the outcome of the war.

Military sources told Al Jazeera that the attack took place on Saturday afternoon in a square near the police station in the Taiba neighborhood of Al-Obeid. He said that the condition of many of the injured is critical.

The attack underscores the RSF’s expanded use of air power as it shifts its offensive into the Kordofan region that stretches from Darfur, home to critical oil infrastructure that generates revenue for both Sudan and neighboring South Sudan.

Military sources reported that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) had earlier attacked RSF positions in the town of Um Adara in South Kordofan, while RSF forces opened fire on the northern town of Um Rawaba, killing civilians.

RSF drones also targeted army positions in the town of Kosti in White Nile state in southeastern Sudan, destroying an army vehicle and injuring its personnel, the sources said.

Fierce clashes have erupted in recent weeks in the three Kordofan states, forcing thousands to flee their homes and what aid agencies have described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies.

United Nations World Food Programme warned Severe funding shortfalls will force foodgrain rations to be cut by up to 70 percent for communities facing starvation from January.

Ross Smith, the agency’s director of emergency preparedness, said the cuts would affect vulnerable communities already “on the brink of drought” as well as those at risk of starvation.

WFP says 20 million Sudanese suffer from malnutrition, with six million facing drought-like conditions. Smith warned that funding could be “shrunk” by April, jeopardizing the program’s ability to continue.

According to international organizations, Sudan’s war between the army and the RSF has killed thousands and displaced around 13 million people since fighting began in April 2023.