RSF drone strike kills five in South Kordofan market

January 12, 2026 (KADUGLI) – Five people were killed and 13 others injured following a drone attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Kartala area in South Kordofan State, the Sudan Doctors Network reported on Monday.

The region previously witnessed intense battles last December involving the Sudanese Army, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), and the allied RSF. These clashes occurred as part of the army’s efforts to break the siege imposed by the movement and the RSF on Dilling, extending toward Kadugli.

In a statement, the medical network said five people were killed, and 13 others wounded when an RSF-guided drone targeted the Kartala market in the Six Mountains area of South Kordofan on Sunday morning. The network’s team confirmed that all the dead and injured were civilians who were inside the market at the time of the strike.

The organization condemned the direct targeting of civilians by the RSF in the strongest terms. It held the leadership of these forces fully responsible for the attack and its consequences, describing it as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the rules of civilian protection.

The network called on the international community, the United Nations, and human rights organizations to take urgent steps to protect civilians in conflict zones. It urged them to pressure the RSF leadership to halt systematic attacks on markets and residential neighbourhoods.

The Sudan Doctors Network affirmed its ongoing commitment to monitoring health conditions and providing medical support to the injured. It called on all parties to spare civilians and civilian facilities from the conflict and to work toward opening safe corridors to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to those affected, particularly in areas of South Kordofan that have been under siege for more than two years.