Drone strike kills 30 at displacement camp in Sudan's Blue Nile

A drone strike in southeastern Sudan has killed at least 30 displaced people, including 26 women and four children, and wounded dozens more, according to local authorities.

According to Wad al-Mahi Governor Mahjoub Al-Sheikh, a drone operated by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck the province.

The strike hit near a displacement camp and an informal gold-mining site in Blue Nile state, where women earn a living extracting gold from the earth.

The attack comes amid an escalation of drone strikes across the Blue Nile region, with the conflict's frontlines increasingly shifting towards Sudan’s border with Ethiopia.

The RSF has launched an offensive towards Damazin, raising concerns that the Sudanese army could be forced to defend multiple fronts, including Blue Nile and Kordofan, where fighting has intensified.

The conflict between Sudan's army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in Blue Nile state this year alone, according to United Nations figures.