RSF drone strike hits Quran School in North Kordofan

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of carrying out a new drone strike in the city of Al-Rahad, located in North Kordofan State. According to local sources, the strike targeted the Sheikh Ahmed Al-Badawi religious school (zawiya). The attack has reportedly caused widespread shock and concern among residents of the city.

The strike resulted in the deaths of two students and left more than 20 others injured, some critically. The wounded were transported to the city’s limited healthcare facilities amid a shortage of medical resources.

According to local sources, the zawiya was hosting students studying the Holy Quran at the time of the strike and was not a military site or an area of active clashes, placing it among civilian objects protected under international humanitarian law. The attack caused material damage to the school’s buildings and triggered panic among students and residents, who rushed to the scene after hearing the explosion.

Witnesses from the area reported severe injuries among the students, including young children. Residents assisted the wounded using basic means due to weak health services and mounting pressure on treatment centers as fighting continues across the state. A wave of grief and public condemnation swept through Al-Rahad, with residents describing the targeting of a religious educational site as a “dangerous escalation in attacks affecting civilians.”

The incident comes amid an increased use of drones in the ongoing conflict, accompanied by mutual accusations between the warring parties over strikes on residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities. In recent months, concerns have grown over the expansion of aerial attacks to cities and areas previously outside the core of direct military operations, further worsening the humanitarian situation in North Kordofan.

The development follows mounting local and international calls to halt attacks on civilians and ensure compliance with international humanitarian law. Activists and community leaders have demanded an urgent and transparent investigation into the incident, accountability for those responsible, and stronger protection for religious and educational institutions, which they say have increasingly come under fire.

Residents of Al-Rahad fear that continued attacks of this nature could trigger a new wave of displacement from the city, amid growing insecurity and deteriorating basic services, as Sudan faces one of its most complex humanitarian and security crises since the outbreak of war.