Drone strike in Sudan kills at least 30 near displacement gathering

A drone strike near a gathering of displaced people in Sudan’s Blue Nile state killed at least 30 people, according to accounts released Friday and Saturday, with later reports citing a toll of 41. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting Sudan’s military, was blamed for the attack by Sudanese rights and medical groups, but responsibility has not been independently verified in the available accounts. The strike hit the Abu Shandi area of Wad al-Mahi locality on Friday, October 9, near the border with Ethiopia. Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights group that tracks the war, said 41 people were killed, including eight children. A later account attributed to the group also said many women were among the dead. The Sudan Doctors Network gave a lower toll, saying at least 31 civilians were killed and 19 wounded. It reported four children among those killed, and said six children and eight women were injured. Wad al-Mahi governor Mahjoub AlSheikh said 30 people, including 26 women and four children, had died. The reports do not establish a final verified casualty count. The Sudanese groups blamed the RSF.