Five killed, including two aid workers, in drone strike on Sudanese refugees in Chad
October 21, 2026 (TINE) – Five people, including two aid workers, were killed on Tuesday evening in a drone strike targeting Sudanese refugees inside Chadian territory near the town of Tine in North Darfur state.
Since the outbreak of war in Sudan on April 15, 2023, thousands of civilians have fled from the central, western, and northern states of Darfur into Chad.
They sought safety from abuses by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), joining Sudanese refugees who have been in Chad since the 2003 Darfur conflict under ousted President Omar al-Bashir.
The Emergency Rooms Council in Tine locality, North Darfur, said two humanitarian volunteers and three displaced people were killed in the Tuesday airstrike targeting the Bamna area.
Several other civilians were seriously injured in the attack, the council added.
The town of Bamna is located inside Chadian territory, where thousands of Sudanese citizens from Tine, Um Baru, and Karnoi in North Darfur fled RSF attacks.
A statement reported the deaths of El Hadi Sandal Issa, coordinator of the Bamna emergency room, and volunteer Adam Omda Arja, a program office member, alongside three displaced residents of local shelters.
The council said a complete communications blackout makes it difficult to monitor the situation on the ground and check on the wounded.
It warned against the repercussions of targeting civilian-populated areas and displacement shelters.
Such attacks worsen the suffering of populations exhausted by war and displacement, the council said, stressing the need to protect civilians and aid workers and ensure safe humanitarian access.
While the council did not blame any specific party, volunteers in the Tine area accused the RSF of bombing the refugees as part of an escalating aerial campaign along the Sudan-Chad border.
The RSF has been accused of crossing the border into Chad on more than three occasions.
These incidents included ground incursions, attacks on Chadian army camps, and drone strikes targeting Sudanese civilians inside Chad.
The RSF has previously acknowledged responsibility for some attacks, apologizing and claiming they occurred by mistake while pursuing Sudanese armed groups.
For months, fierce battles have raged between the Sudanese army and its Joint Force allies against the RSF in the Tine, Um Baru, and Karnoi areas of North Darfur.
The RSF has sought to seize the army’s remaining positions in Darfur, while the army and its allies continue defending the border with Chad.