Khaberni - The Sudanese Doctors Network reported the killing of 24 people, including 8 children, in the targeting by Rapid Support Forces of a displaced bus in Kordofan.
The network, which is following the ongoing war in the country, said that the attack by the Rapid Support Forces took place near the city of El Rahad in North Kordofan State.
It added that the vehicle was carrying displaced people who had fled fighting in the Debiker area of North Kordofan. The network noted that among the dead children were two infants. It called for urgent international action to protect civilians in conflict areas.
Earlier, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned an attack by the Rapid Support Forces using drones on trucks belonging to the World Food Programme, which were transporting aid to civilians in North Kordofan, resulting in casualties and destruction of relief materials.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the targeting of these convoys represents a serious violation of the principles of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, constituting a deliberate and ongoing undermining of efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need, and called on the international community to take the necessary measures to ensure the accountability of Rapid Support Forces and their supporters.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered that the Rapid Support Forces' assault on the World Food Programme trucks was not an isolated incident, inviting the international community to clearly condemn the practices of the Rapid Support Forces.
In a related context, Massad Paulos, the Senior Advisor to the American President on Arab and African Affairs, condemned the targeting of a World Food Programme convoy in North Kordofan, calling for accountability.
Paulos said: "The United States strongly condemns the recent drone attack on a World Food Programme convoy in North Kordofan," adding that "the destruction of food intended for the needy and the killing of humanitarian workers is horrific."
He emphasized that President Donald Trump's administration "will not tolerate the taking of lives and destruction of aid funded by the United States, and we demand accountability."
The violence in Kordofan has left hundreds of thousands of families on the brink of starvation, and pushed about 88,000 people to displace between October and January, according to United Nations figures.
More than 21 million people, nearly half the population of Sudan, face high levels of acute food insecurity, according to the United Nations.
The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 11 million internally and externally, many of whom live in crowded villages or shelters lacking basic necessities, in the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.
