Khartoum, Sudan
An airstrike killed five children in a paramilitary-controlled town in Sudan’s North Kordofan state on Thursday, a rights group said, blaming the attack on the army.
The strike came as Sudan’s de facto leader, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said he had told US President Donald Trump he remained committed to peace efforts despite months of stalled progress.
Fighting has intensified in the strategic Kordofan region linking eastern and western Sudan, where the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been battling for territory more than three years into a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
The Emergency Lawyers, which monitors abuses in Sudan’s conflict, said an army Antonov aircraft struck a house in the village of Abu Zaeima, killing five children from the same family and injuring their mother.
The military did not immediately comment on the allegation.
The Kordofan region has also been targeted by drone strikes, with both sides increasingly using the weapons to launch far-reaching attacks without sacrificing their fighters.
UN figures show that more than 1,100 people were killed by drone strikes across Sudan during the first half of this year alone.
In North Kordofan’s capital El Obeid, repeated drone strikes on civilian sites have deepened a humanitarian crisis and taken a heavy toll on children, the Norwegian Refugee Council said on Thursday.
Shashwat Saraf, NRC’s country director in Sudan, said children were being forced to make “impossible choices” to continue their education.
Recent attacks have hit a shelter for displaced families, a university dormitory and warehouses containing more than 330,000 textbooks in North Kordofan.
“Each attack leaves families wondering what will be hit next,” Saraf said.
International attempts to bring both sides to the table for peace talks have made little headway, but army chief Burhan said on X Thursday that he had sent a message to Trump “reaffirming Sudan’s commitment to US peace efforts”.
The US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE undertook a coordinated push for talks on ending the war last year, but those stalled after Burhan accused the group of bias because of Abu Dhabi’s membership.
The UAE denies widespread reports it backs the RSF, while the army has received support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
In his post Thursday, Burhan said his government was “ready to work in good faith with all parties for a just, lasting peace that safeguards our sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, & our people’s dignity”.
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