Sudan drone strikes kill children in Khartoum and dozens near West Kordofan market
Three children were reported killed near Khartoum’s airport on Monday, while a medical source cited by AFP put the toll from a Sunday strike in Al-Dibab at 80.
Drone strikes in Sudan killed three children near Khartoum’s airport on Monday, October 19, and a reported 80 people near a market in Al-Dibab, West Kordofan, on Sunday evening, October 18. The attacks struck civilians in separate parts of a country where the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been at war since April 2023.
What happened near Khartoum’s airport
Emergency Lawyers, a group that tracks violence against civilians, said the children killed in Imtidad Nasser, east of the airport, were aged two, four and six, according to the Associated Press. A medical source separately told AFP that four bodies arrived at a morgue after a strike on a house in the neighbourhood: three children and a man. The accounts leave the total number killed there unclear.
Sayed Mustafa, a resident, told AP he saw a drone flying towards the airport and heard anti-aircraft fire before an explosion nearby. Emergency Lawyers blamed the RSF for the strike and called for an investigation and accountability. AP reported no immediate comment from the RSF.
Deaths reported at Al-Dibab transport hub
In Al-Dibab, witness Ahmed Abakar Wadi told AFP the drone struck twice, 10 minutes apart, at a transport hub where people gathered to travel home after market day. He said he helped bury 50 people, including his brother. An anonymous medical source told AFP that 30 others died from their injuries, bringing the reported toll to 80. That figure rests on those accounts.
The RSF-declared administration, Tasis, accused the Sudanese army of carrying out the Al-Dibab strike. AFP reported that West Kordofan is under RSF control. Emergency Lawyers also attributed weekend drone attacks in the state to the army, including a Saturday strike on a market in al-Muglad and a Sunday strike in the Al-Dabab area. Responsibility for the Al-Dibab deaths has not been independently established.
The medical source cited by AFP said another drone strike in Al-Mujlad injured four people who were receiving treatment. Sudan’s war has killed at least 59,000 people, according to conflict monitor ACLED, while aid groups say the true toll is probably higher. About 13 million people have been displaced, according to UN figures cited by AP.
Read in depth: World
Baptist World Aid report finds little progress on fashion brands’ ethical practices
Brands assessed in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report averaged 31.5 out of 100, with gaps between company policies and practices affecting workers.
Macron faces criticism after riot address and keeps interior minister in post
French politicians across the spectrum criticised Emmanuel Macron’s response to weekend unrest. He rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s offer to resign and asked him to...
Sources and context
- Sudan drone attacks kill three children in Khartoum, dozens of civilians in KordofanThe Hindu, reporting Associated Press
- Drone attacks kill scores in Sudan's West Kordofan state and capital KhartoumFrance 24, with AFP
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.