Drone strike injures six, destroys medical supplies in Dilling
May 21, Dilling — At least six people were injured and key medical supply warehouses completely destroyed following a drone attack launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N El Hilu) alliance on Dilling, South Kordofan State, a local medical group announced Thursday.
The strike comes just days after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) lifted a blockade on Dilling for the third time this year. The military breakthrough followed intense battles against the RSF-SPLM-N alliance, culminating in the army seizing control of the strategic town of Al-Tukma.
In a statement, the Sudanese Doctors Network confirmed that a rocket attack executed by a drone belonging to the RSF and the El Hilu faction hit Dilling, resulting in six civilian casualties and the total destruction of the city’s medical supply storage. The network noted that the bombardment caused massive losses of critical medicines and equipment designated for civilian healthcare.
The medical group strongly condemned the attack, describing the targeting of health facilities and medicine depots as a “full-fledged crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” which strictly prohibits attacks on civilian and service infrastructure.
Dilling’s healthcare system has repeatedly come under fire. Previous artillery and drone bombardments by the RSF have knocked three of the city’s hospitals completely out of service. Remaining medical facilities are struggling to survive amid a severe shortage of healthcare personnel and a critical scarcity of essential medicines.
The network warned that the deliberate destruction of medical aid will severely exacerbate the already critical humanitarian and health conditions for residents in Dilling and surrounding areas, stripping thousands of patients of their basic right to treatment. It held the RSF and the SPLM-N El Hilu faction fully responsible for the ongoing violations against civilians and health infrastructure.
The group further called on the international community, UN agencies, and human rights organizations to urgently condemn these assaults, safeguard healthcare workers and facilities, and launch an independent investigation to hold perpetrators accountable.
On Wednesday, the United Nations also reported that drone strikes had targeted Dilling and its surrounding areas, striking a commercial truck and causing additional civilian casualties.
The escalation reflects a broader trend across the Kordofan and Darfur regions, where warring parties have increasingly relied on drone warfare. Between January and April, monitoring groups recorded 28 drone attacks on public markets and 12 raids targeting healthcare facilities, alongside repeated strikes on fuel depots and humanitarian supply routes.