KHARTOUM — A drone strike killed at least 40 people, including children, in Sudan’s Blue Nile province near the Ethiopian border on Friday, according to Emergency Lawyers, a rights group that monitors the country’s war.

The group attributed the attack in the Abu Shandi area to the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary organization fighting Sudan’s military. The casualty figure and attribution rely on the monitoring group’s account; independent access to active conflict areas is limited.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it was appalled by the strike. The Associated Press report did not include a response from the RSF to the allegation.

War has expanded the reach of drone attacks

Sudan’s civil war began in April 2023 after tensions between the military and the RSF erupted into open fighting. The conflict has spread across the country and created what Canada describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project estimates that the war has killed at least 150,000 people, AP reported, while aid organizations say the actual toll is likely higher. More than 13 million people have been forcibly displaced and more than 33 million need urgent humanitarian assistance, according to an April statement from Global Affairs Canada.

The latest attack was reported in Blue Nile, a region that Canadian and other G7 foreign ministers specifically identified in July when warning about alleged violations of international humanitarian and human-rights law. Their statement called on the RSF, Sudanese Armed Forces and allied groups to protect civilians and end hostilities.

Canada has committed $120 million in 2026 support

Canada announced more than $120 million in new humanitarian, development and peace-and-stabilization funding for Sudan and neighbouring countries in April. That package included more than $94 million in humanitarian assistance and support for education, protection and services responding to gender-based violence.

In September, Canada joined partners in highlighting how drones were extending the reach of Sudan’s conflict and increasing harm to civilians and humanitarian workers. Friday’s reported strike is a new mass-casualty incident, but responsibility has not been independently established.

Sources: The Associated Press, published October 10; Global Affairs Canada funding announcement, April 15; G7 foreign ministers’ statement, July 14; Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan statement, September 24.

Lead image: national flag of Sudan from Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Not a photograph of the October 9 strike.