Kadugli, December 17 (Darfur24)
At least eight women were killed in a drone strike believed to have been carried out by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) and its ally, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeting displaced civilians attempting to leave the city of Kadugli in South Kordofan State, local sources said.
Sources in Kadugli told Darfur24 that the drone strike targeted a group of displaced people after they reached the Al-Karkal area, while moving toward locations under SPLM-N control. The attack resulted in multiple casualties among unarmed civilians.
According to the sources, the eight women killed were identified as: Zainab Muhammad Qasim Allah, Lubna Ibrahim Muhammad Qasim Allah, Rayan Hamd Allah Muhammad, Haniya Al-Hasab Hammad, Fatima Muhammad Ibrahim Qasim Allah, Widad Ali Muqaddam, and Tibyan Al-Sadiq Hamed.
The incident has heightened public concern, particularly as residents continue attempts to flee Kadugli amid a worsening security situation.
Sources also said that large numbers of young people, estimated in the thousands, remain trapped inside the city due to fears of potential abuses during displacement, whether by the SPLM-N or the RSF. These concerns have prompted many to delay leaving Kadugli, despite repeated threats by SPLM-N leaders to storm the city.
In a related development, field monitoring teams from the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement issued Wednesday that an estimated 460 people were displaced from Kadugli locality during December 15 and 16, due to escalating insecurity and growing threats to civilians.
The statement said the displaced families fled to areas in Al-Rahad locality in North Kordofan State, as well as other locations in White Nile and Khartoum states, amid difficult humanitarian conditions and increasing needs for assistance and basic services.
South Kordofan State continues to witness escalating military and security tensions, raising fears of further displacement and deepening civilian suffering, as residents remain caught between ongoing fighting and the absence of safe corridors for evacuation, amid mounting calls for civilian protection.