The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented a horrific crime in the Al‑Jalabiya neighborhood of El‑Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, where 10 civilians, including six children, were killed following a drone strike that targeted residential homes.
According to available information, a drone operated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a direct strike on a densely populated residential area on Monday evening, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries of varying severity. The attack constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the rules protecting civilians during armed conflicts.
In a statement issued by the Emergency Lawyers Committee, the RSF was held fully legally responsible for the deliberate targeting of civilians, stressing that the strike blatantly violated the principles of distinction and proportionality, and amounts to war crimes given the intentional targeting of residential neighborhoods and defenseless civilians.
CFJ emphasized that the direct targeting of civilian areas represents a serious breach of international humanitarian law, rising to the level of war crimes, especially in light of deliberate attacks on civilians—including children—and protected civilian objects.
The committee further warned that the continued use of drones by the RSF, whether independently or as part of reciprocal shelling with the Sudanese Armed Forces, risks expanding the scope of the armed conflict and reinforces strategies aimed at forcible displacement of civilians through attacks on vital infrastructure and residential areas.
CFJ holds the Rapid Support Forces fully responsible for this atrocity and calls for an urgent, independent international investigation into the circumstances of the massacre, accountability for those responsible, and immediate measures to protect civilians in North Kordofan State, including halting all attacks on residential neighborhoods and civilian objects.
