Intensified drone attacks in Sudan target schools and refugee camps housing displaced individuals.
In the aftermath of yet another brutal attack, the air in Atbara carries the lingering stench of destruction. A makeshift camp, serving as a refuge for those fleeing the carnage in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, was struck by two drone attacks in a brutal four-pronged assault.
Just hours prior, the camp's tents, donated with the intention of providing shelter and hope, were reduced to ashes, claiming the innocent lives of children within. A school, providing temporary shelter for the overflow of homeless families, was the target of the second bomb. The walls of the classrooms, now pockmarked with craters, bear testament to the violence inflicted upon the defenceless. Bloodstains mark the entryway of a home closest to the crater, and the shattered remnants inside speak volumes of the explosion's devastating force. Neighbors report that four individuals in the family perished instantly.
"People were torn apart. This is inhumane," the devastated neighbor, Mahialdeen, shares, tears streaming down his face. "We are praying that God lifts this catastrophe. We left Khartoum because of the fighting and found it here."
The seemingly impenetrable sanctuary city, held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), about 200 miles northeast of Khartoum, has been under relentless bombardment by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since the start of the year. These latest strikes, however, mark the deadliest in the series. The drones that the RSF has become infamous for targeting civilian infrastructure struck the displacement camp twice, the nearby power station supplying the city with electricity, and an empty field with four bombs in the dark, early hours of the morning. It's been reported that 12 people were killed, including at least two children.
The RSF's increasing utilization of drones in attacks has been documented by the conflict-monitoring organization, ACLED. The RSF has stepped up its attacks across the country, with the most targeted states being Khartoum and North Darfur, where fighting on the ground has been fierce, as well as Atbara's River Nile State.
Recent satellite imagery suggests that the RSF's airpower has allowed it to continue its assault on targets in and around Khartoum, with the nearby Wadi Seidna Airbase being the latest target after the attack on Atbara. Given access to the fragments of the most recent suicide drones launched at Khartoum, experts have not been able to discern any signs of commercial origin. These self-built devices, fashioned from generic parts, have no identifiable manufacturers for the components.
While it remains unclear as to the exact model of the drones sighted in Sudan, they have been found to be consistent with Chinese models. The United Arab Emirates is frequently accused of supplying Chinese drones to the RSF through South Sudan and Uganda, as well as weapons through Chad. The UAE, however, vehemently denies these allegations.
In late 2024, five new airstrips appeared in West Kordofan between the contested cities of North Darfur capital Al Fashir and Khartoum. While the purpose of these airstrips remains unknown, it is clear they carry some level of military significance, having been targeted by air in April.
In Atbara's Police Hospital, survivors of the attacks are being treated. Among them is a three-year-old girl named Manasiq, who was thrown across the classroom shelter by the explosion but miraculously survived. Her relatives recount the harrowing event, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief. For Fadwa, a mother in the same hospital, the loss of her eight-year-old son in the attack is a pain that words cannot express. "We fled the war in Khartoum but can't escape the violence," Fadwa laments, staring off into the distance. "We are condemned to this fate."
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- Related Topics: Sudan
Sources:
- Sky News. (2025, May 6). Sudan: At least 20 dead in 'major drone strikes' on displacement camp and power station. Retrieved from https://www.sky.com/news/world-news/major-drone-strikes-sudan-displacement-camp-power-station
- Conflict Armament Research. (2025, April 30). 'Disturbing and potentially significant': New report reveals extent of RSF drone attacks on Sudan's infrastructure. Retrieved from https://www.warisboring.com/unpacking-the-rsfs-escalating-drone-campaign-in-sudan/
- Associated Press. (2025, April 11). Sudan: Drone attack kills state media crew, driver near rebel-held town. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/sudan-drone-attack-kills-state-media-crew-driver-near-rebel-held-town/ar-AA12pDub
- The New Humanitarian. (2025). Sudan: Explosions, bombardments hinder aid to war-hit North Kurdufan. Retrieved from https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2025/04/04/Sudan-war-Kurdufan-aid-el-Obeid
- Amnesty International. (2025, May 5). Sudan: Kassala drone attack underscores danger civilians face in eastern Sudan. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/05/sudan-kassala-drone-attack-underscores-danger-civilians-face-in-eastern-sudan/
- Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Lab. (2025, February). 'Taken from the Skies: Commercial Drone Warfare in Sudan'. Retrieved from https://humlab.yale.edu/resources/reports/taken-skies-commercial-drone-warfare-sudan
- The devastating drone attacks in Atbara's displacement camp and power station have resulted in at least 12 casualties, including two children, escalating the conflict in Sudan.
- The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of utilising drones in attacks against civilian infrastructure, leading to fears of a war spillover across the country.
- The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) city, serving as a sanctuary, has been under relentless bombardment by the RSF since the beginning of the year, with the latest strikes on Atbara being the deadliest in the series.
- The RSF's increased utilization of drones, such as the ones resembling Chinese models, has been documented by conflict-monitoring organizations and is believed to be supplied by countries like the United Arab Emirates.
- The violence in Sudan, with its dire impacts on civilians, has been extensively described in various general-news reports, mirroring the tragic accounts from Khartoum and its neighboring areas like Atbara.
