RSF Drone attack wounds seven students in Sudan’s Kosti

Seven students were injured, some critically, after a drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit a student dormitory in the Sudanese city of Kosti in White Nile State, the Sudan Doctors Network said on Monday.

The medical group said RSF drones targeted several civilian sites in Kosti on Sunday evening, including the Al-Qoz student dormitory, which houses a large number of students. The strike “caused extensive damage” to parts of the buildings and sparked panic among students living at the facility.

The Sudan Doctors Network condemned the attack, saying the targeting of student housing and other civilian areas “posed a direct threat to civilians and risked worsening Sudan’s already severe humanitarian crisis.” The group said such attacks “violate international humanitarian law,” which prohibits strikes on civilian objects.

The reported strike underlines the growing role of drones in Sudan’s war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), where both sides have increasingly turned to unmanned aerial attacks to extend their reach beyond traditional frontlines. The technology has enabled strikes deep inside urban areas and logistics hubs, making it harder for civilians to anticipate or avoid attacks.

The expansion of drone warfare has coincided with a steady erosion of civilian infrastructure across much of the country. Power stations, fuel depots, hospitals and residential neighbourhoods have repeatedly been hit during the conflict, compounding the humanitarian crisis and accelerating the collapse of basic services in many cities.

Kosti, located along a key transport corridor in White Nile State, has until recently remained relatively insulated compared with heavily contested cities such as Khartoum or El Fasher. However, the spread of drone strikes into previously calmer areas reflects how the conflict is widening geographically while the lines between military and civilian targets become increasingly blurred.

Diplomatic efforts to secure even a temporary humanitarian pause appear increasingly distant. Both the RSF and the SAF have hardened their positions on the battlefield and in negotiations, while international diplomatic bandwidth has shifted toward other crises, including escalating war in Middle East. Aid groups warn that without renewed pressure and sustained mediation, attacks on urban areas are likely to intensify as the war enters another protracted phase.