On Tuesday, November 10, 2026 a drone strike in the southeastern Blue Nile State of Sudan killed nine displaced people and injured several others, a local official said, just days after the government intensified its air operations against positions belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In a telephone interview, Kurmuk Commissioner Abdel Ati Mohamed al‑Faki told Xinhua that the attack occurred while a group of displaced people was traveling from Bani Shako in the Kurmuk locality toward Damazin, the provincial capital, and he attributed the strike to the RSF.
Xinhua reported that the drones targeted a residential gathering, calling the incident part of a pattern of increased attacks on civilian populations in the region. The outlet also noted that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) had stepped up air bombardments against RSF and its ally the Sudan People's Liberation Movement‑North in several areas of the Blue Nile, adding that the conflict, which began in April 2023, has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced both internally and across borders.
The Sudan Tribune, in a similar story published the same day, echoed Xinhua’s attribution of responsibility to the RSF. The outlet described the event as a “drone strike in Kurmuk County that killed nine civilians” and linked it to the RSF’s ongoing advances near Ed Damazin, saying the attack formed part of a broader escalation in the region.
In contrast, a report from the Eastleigh Voice highlighted the broader impact of the RSF’s campaigns, noting that the group had “attacked civilian infrastructure, pursued displaced populations through ground and drone attacks, and looted local communities.” While the piece did not detail the specific strike in Blue Nile, it stressed that such incidents contributed to a climate of insecurity for internally displaced persons near riverine settlements.
All three accounts cover the same factual core: a drone strike in southeastern Sudan killed nine displaced civilians and injured others. Xinhua and Sudan Tribune both identify the RSF as the alleged perpetrators, emphasizing the paramilitary’s role and linking the incident to heightened SAF drone activity. The Eastleigh Voice article, while not naming the exact target, underscores RSF’s broader pattern of targeting civil infrastructure, thereby framing the strike within a larger narrative of displacement‑related violence.
These divergent but overlapping narratives reflect the complex dynamics of a conflict that has cropped up between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF since mid‑2023, with civilian casualties rising as each side increases its use of air power. The death toll and the intensity of attacks on displaced populations hint at an escalating cycle that has both immediate humanitarian consequences and long‑term implications for stability in the Blue Nile region.
