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Reports of Dozens Killed and Injured in Drone Strike on Hospital in West Kordofan

Sudan Events – Agencies

Dozens of people were killed or injured in a drone strike that targeted the General Hospital in the city of Al-Mujlad, located in West Kordofan State, western Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and local groups accused the Sudanese army of carrying out the attack.

In a statement released Sunday, the RSF said the bombing, which occurred on Saturday afternoon, resulted in the deaths of 34 civilians, including medical personnel, and injured dozens more.

The Mujlad Emergency Room, a local community group, also held the army responsible for the attack in a post on its Facebook page.

The Sudanese army has not issued a response, and its official spokesman, Nabil Abdullah, did not respond to repeated attempts for comment. Local sources indicated that the hospital was targeted after the RSF transferred dozens of its wounded fighters there following fierce battles with the army on Friday in the town of Babanusa, also in West Kordofan.

On Saturday, the army issued a statement claiming that its 22nd Infantry Division in Babanusa had crushed a major RSF assault on the city.

Emergency Lawyers, a rights group monitoring violations in Sudan’s war, confirmed there were deaths and injuries from the airstrike. They noted that the hospital is one of the main healthcare facilities in the state and includes a dialysis unit that provides regular treatment to patients, describing the targeting as a “grave violation.”

In a statement, the group said: “We categorically reject any justification for this bombing and hold the perpetrators fully accountable for the resulting human and material losses.”

Local sources said that most residents of Mujlad and dozens of surrounding villages rely heavily on this hospital for treatment and healthcare.

Media outlets affiliated with the army reported on social media that a military airstrike had been carried out in Mujlad but did not specify the target.

Despite repeated international calls to avoid targeting hospitals, medical facilities, and civilian infrastructure, such attacks continue to occur, with each side in the conflict blaming the other.

In May, the army accused the RSF of shelling the Social Security Hospital in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, with heavy artillery, killing six civilians and injuring 12 others.

The RSF currently controls the city of Mujlad and has spread across large areas of West Kordofan in recent weeks, where sporadic clashes continue with army forces.

The city has witnessed ongoing battles since the early days of the war, prompting its residents to flee to nearby towns and villages, turning it into a “ghost town” inhabited only by soldiers from both warring sides. However, fighting ceased there on November 29, 2023, following a tripartite agreement between the army, RSF, and the city’s traditional leadership. The agreement included halting escalation, air patrols, and bombardment in the city. Still, tensions remained, with the army holding positions in the west of the city while RSF forces maintained control over the “abandoned” neighborhoods.

Fierce battles resumed on Saturday. In an official statement, the army said its 22nd Division repelled a large-scale RSF assault, warning that Mujlad would become a graveyard for RSF fighters and those who joined them.

No one can definitively confirm what’s happening in Babanusa, West Kordofan, which has seen intense attritional battles between the army and RSF in recent days. While the army claims it has crushed attacking RSF forces and retained its final stronghold in the state, RSF-aligned media circulated videos showing their forces controlling large parts of the city and approaching full recapture, including parts of the 22nd Division’s headquarters—one of the largest Sudanese army concentrations in western Sudan.

Strategic Importance of Babanusa

Known affectionately by locals as “Al-Qumeira” (Little Moon), Babanusa is a key town in West Kordofan, about 700 kilometers from the capital Khartoum. It is a major transportation hub connecting western Sudan to central, northern, and southern regions, including South Sudan before its secession. The town hosts a railway junction linking to Nyala (South Darfur) and Wau (South Sudan), making it one of Sudan’s most important rail centers.

The city’s economy relies on trade, agriculture, and livestock. It also houses the first milk-drying factory in the region, built with a grant from the former Yugoslavia during President Ibrahim Abboud’s era in the 1950s and inaugurated by Yugoslav President Marshal Josip Broz Tito. The army’s 22nd Division in the city comprises troops from various parts of Darfur and Kordofan, including areas now under RSF control.

War of Attrition

The RSF has not issued an official statement on the current situation in Babanusa. However, its Telegram channel claimed they had seized control of Brigade 189, part of the 22nd Division. Army-affiliated sources acknowledged that RSF forces briefly took over the brigade’s headquarters but were later forced to withdraw after army reinforcements arrived.

A military source, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said that Babanusa, like El-Fasher, has become a “draining zone” for RSF forces, where they have suffered heavy losses in men and equipment during repeated attacks on army positions. He added: “In yesterday’s Babanusa battle, the army set a trap for the RSF. Their fighters stormed the division’s base, only to be encircled and pushed back, incurring significant casualties.”

The battle for Babanusa is crucial for both sides. If the RSF manages to seize the city, it would gain control over all of West Kordofan—bordering South Sudan to the south, North and South Kordofan to the east, and South and North Darfur to the west. This follows RSF’s full control of An-Nuhud and Al-Khuwei. If the army retains its base in Babanusa, it preserves a strategic foothold in the state, paving the way for further operations toward Darfur.

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