A drone strike by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces killed 41 displaced people, including eight children, in the Abu Shandi area of Blue Nile province near the Ethiopian border. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expressed outrage and demanded accountability for international law violations. The attack highlights the worsening crisis in Sudan, where conflict since April 2023 has killed over 150,000 people and displaced upwards of 12.4 million.
Casualties and details of the attack
- ▪Sudan's Rapid Support Forces carried out a drone strike on October 9, 2026, hitting a gathering of displaced people in the Abu Shandi area of Sudan's Blue Nile province near the Ethiopian border
- ▪The Emergency Lawyers rights group reported that eight children and many women were among the 41 people killed in the October 9, 2026 drone strike in Blue Nile province
- ▪A drone strike on October 9, 2026, killed 41 displaced people and wounded dozens of others in Sudan's Blue Nile province near the Ethiopian border, according to the Emergency Lawyers rights group
UN response and humanitarian impact
- ▪The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the Abu Shandi area in Blue Nile province had been under sustained attack in recent weeks, displacing thousands of civilians
- ▪The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that initial reports suggested most of the casualties from the October 9, 2026 drone strike by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces were women and children
- ▪The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs publicly stated it was appalled by the reported Rapid Support Forces drone strike in Sudan's Blue Nile province
- ▪Denise Brown, United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, stated that there must be accountability for the flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law demonstrated in the October 9, 2026 strike by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces
Broader toll of Sudan's war
- ▪United Nations figures indicate that Sudan's conflict has forced more than 12.4 million people to flee their homes, creating the world's largest humanitarian crisis
- ▪Sudan's war, which began in April 2023 between the military and the Rapid Support Forces, has killed at least 150,000 people according to conflict monitor ACLED
- ▪Across Sudan, 33.7 million people, including 17.3 million children, urgently need aid in 2026, and an estimated 825,000 children face severe acute malnutrition
- ▪The BBC reported that Sudan's power struggle between the military and paramilitary forces has displaced more than 14 million people from their homes since 2023
Rapid Support Forces and drone attacks
- ▪Both the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been accused of using drone attacks in Sudan's conflict since 2023
- ▪A spokesperson for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces did not respond to requests for comment regarding the October 9, 2026 drone strike in Blue Nile province
Debatable claims
- ▪Conducting military drone strikes near the Ethiopian border threatens regional stability
- ▪International bodies should initiate criminal prosecutions against Rapid Support Forces commanders
- ▪The RSF drone strike in Blue Nile province violated international humanitarian law
- ▪Public UN condemnations fail to protect civilians in Sudan's conflict
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