Sudan’s conflict escalated further as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on the city of Kalogi in South Kordofan have reportedly killed at least 47 people, mostly children, and injured around 50 others, according to sources within the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The deadly strikes, described as “deliberate suicide-drone attacks,” targeted a kindergarten and several civilian facilities, compounding the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Sudan.

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RSF Target Civilian Areas in Kalogi

Military sources reported that the RSF first struck the kindergarten on Thursday before returning to target civilians who had gathered to assist the victims. Additional attacks hit the city hospital and a government building.

The Sudan Doctors Network initially reported nine fatalities, including four children and two women, but the toll has risen as critically injured victims succumb to their wounds.

“This attack constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and is a continuation of the targeting of civilians and vital infrastructure,” the Sudan Doctors Network said.

The attacks are part of a broader pattern of RSF atrocities amid the ongoing civil war, now in its third year, which pits government-aligned SAF forces against the paramilitary RSF. Both sides have faced accusations of targeting civilians.

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UN Warns of Mass Atrocities in Kordofan

The United Nations has raised alarms about the potential for further mass atrocities in Kordofan. UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned that history is “repeating itself,” referencing the recent fall of el-Fasher, the North Darfur capital, where international warnings were largely ignored before widespread killings occurred.

“It is truly shocking to see history repeating itself in Kordofan so soon after the horrific events in el-Fasher,” Turk said, urging global powers to intervene.

Since late October, after the RSF captured Bara in North Kordofan, the UN has documented at least 269 civilian deaths from aerial bombardment, artillery strikes, and summary killings. Communication blackouts across the region suggest the true toll is likely higher, with reports of revenge attacks, arbitrary detentions, sexual violence, and forced child recruitment.

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Strategic Importance of Kordofan

Kordofan holds strategic significance, lying between RSF-controlled Darfur in the west and government-held territories in the east and north. Control of major cities, such as el-Obeid, would give the RSF a direct route toward the capital, Khartoum, which government forces reclaimed earlier this year.

Earlier this week, the RSF claimed control of Babnusa, a city in West Kordofan, showing footage of its fighters at the military base. The SAF, however, denied the city had fallen.

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International Response and Calls for Accountability

The international community has increasingly condemned RSF atrocities:

• Amnesty International has called for war crimes investigations into RSF attacks.
• The European Union imposed sanctions on Abdelrahim Dagalo, deputy of the RSF and brother of leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo.
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the fall of el-Fasher as a “crime scene,” following satellite imagery showing mass casualties.

Despite repeated warnings, international intervention has been limited, raising concerns that further civilian massacres could occur if the conflict continues unchecked.

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Humanitarian Crisis in Kalogi and Surrounding Areas

Survivors in Kalogi describe the attacks as devastating. Local hospitals and relief centres are overwhelmed, and many displaced families face food, water, and medical shortages.

“We have lost our children and our homes. How will we survive?” a local resident told Al Jazeera, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian aid.