KHARTOUM, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 civilians, including seven children, were killed in drone strikes on Tuesday in the southern Sudanese city of Kadugli, a local volunteer group and witnesses said, hours after the army claimed to have broken a years-long siege there.
The Sudan Doctors Network said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted several residential neighborhoods and the Al-Shartai Health Center. The group condemned the attack as a "flagrant violation" of international humanitarian law.
"Most of the victims were patients who were receiving treatment inside the health center at the time of the strike," a witness in Kadugli told Xinhua, adding the attack occurred at 4:00 p.m. (1400 GMT).
The RSF did not immediately respond to the volunteer group's report.
The strikes follow a strategic shift in the conflict. Earlier on Tuesday, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said its units had finally entered the city, which has been besieged for more than two years by the RSF and the allied Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).
The prolonged blockade has forced nearly 80 percent of Kadugli's 183,750 residents to flee and caused severe food shortages, according to the UN data.
The RSF has intensified its campaign across the Kordofan region since October 2025, following its capture of El Fasher, the last major army stronghold in neighboring Darfur.
Sudan has been engulfed in a power struggle between the SAF and RSF since mid-April 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands and created the world's largest displacement crisis. ■
