At least 17 people were killed, and 25 others injured in drone strikes targeting residential neighborhoods in Lagawa city in West Kordofan state, southern Sudan, according to a statement by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and an eyewitness, Xinhua reports.
In a statement on Monday, the RSF said that “these systematic attacks on hospitals, markets, and residential areas across several cities in the Kordofan and Darfur regions, using drones, constitute a grave and explicit violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits targeting civilians and civilian objects.”
The RSF called for an independent international investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
An eyewitness inside the city told Xinhua, “Early this morning, we heard loud explosions, followed by thick plumes of smoke rising from several neighborhoods in central Lagawa.”
“Projectiles fell on some homes in the eastern part of the city, resulting in casualties,” the witness added, confirming the reported deaths and injuries.
West Kordofan state, located in the southwestern part of the Kordofan region and bordering South Sudan, is under RSF control.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have not commented on the accusations of shelling the city.
The SAF and RSF have been at war since April 2023. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions inside Sudan and across the region.
