9 civilians killed in RSF drone attack in Sudan's Blue Nile state: Official

At least nine civilians were killed, and several others seriously injured in a drone attack blamed on Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the southeastern Blue Nile state, a local official said Tuesday.

Abdelaati Elfakey, governor of Kurmuk locality, said in a statement posted on Facebook that drones belonging to the RSF struck Bani Shako village in the Al-Keili administrative unit, killing nine residents and seriously injuring others.

The official did not specify when the attack occurred or provide an exact number of those injured.

The RSF has not commented on the incident yet.

The attack came amid escalating fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF, along with its ally, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), in Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border.

On Nov. 2, the Sudanese army said it repelled attacks by the RSF and allied SPLM-N fighters in the Bakori and Sali areas of Blue Nile, inflicting heavy losses on the attackers. The RSF did not immediately comment on the military's claims.

Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the army and the RSF since April 2023, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing around 13 million, according to UN and international estimates.