Khartoum drone strike kills five Sudan NGO reports

The attack, the second in a week, follows months of relative calm in the city after government forces regained control last year.A drone strike carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed five civilians in Khartoum, according to an NGO.The attack, which Emergency Lawyers, an independent legal group supporting victims of human rights violations in Sudan, reported on Saturday, is the second to take place in the capital within a week. It follows months of relative calm in the city after government forces regained control last year.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Sudan refugees returning home face new ‘struggle for survival’: UNlist 2 of 3Thousands held by paramilitary RSF in Sudan’s el-Fasher: NGOlist 3 of 3Families forced into displacement by famine in Sudanend of listThe NGO said it holds the RSF fully responsible for the strike, accusing the group of breaching international humanitarian law.Emergency Lawyers said the incident forms part of an ongoing pattern of attacks on civilians. Nearly 700 civilians were killed in drone strikes in the first three months of this year, according to UN figures.‘Completely free’On Tuesday, a drone struck a hospital in the Jebel Awliya area, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of central Khartoum, a security source and eyewitnesses told the AFP news agency. It was the first such attack in the area in months.The Sudanese army, which now enjoys a solid grip in the north and east, launched a rapid counteroffensive last year that pushed the paramilitary forces out of the capital.Following intense fighting around the capital last year, Sudan’s military government declared the Khartoum region “completely free” of RSF.Since then, the RSF has largely concentrated on expanding its control in its stronghold in the western Darfur region and pushing into neighbouring areas, capturing valuable oil-producing assets.