At least four women were killed and several civilians wounded on Wednesday in drone strikes that hit residential areas and civilian sites in Damazin, the capital of Sudan’s Blue Nile state, local rights groups and civil society activists said.
The strikes hit the Al-Hijra neighbourhood in northern Damazin, according to the Emergency Lawyers group, the Al Jazeera Human Rights Observatory and a civil society initiative in Blue Nile.
The four victims were identified as Nahed Al-Jundi, Hanaa Al-Jundi, Masajid Jaber and Jimaya Al-Nour. Local rights groups said they were from the same family.
A mosque and several civilian properties were also damaged, including the home of Blue Nile state Finance Minister Abbas Kara, the groups said.
The groups did not provide a precise figure for those wounded. Al Jazeera, citing the spokesman for the Blue Nile state government, reported that four people were killed and 12 wounded in the strikes.
The Emergency Lawyers group blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the attack. The RSF did not immediately comment on the accusation.
Ali Hajo, secretary-general of the Blue Nile Civil Society Initiative, said the attacks on residential areas, homes and places of worship are a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
The rights and civil society groups called for an end to the war, an independent investigation and accountability for those responsible. They also called for safe corridors and greater protection for civilians.
Blue Nile state officials attended the funerals of the victims at Al-Hijra cemetery on Wednesday.
Dr. Arafat Al-Sadiq Mohamed Ali, the state minister for animal resources and fisheries, attended the funeral on behalf of the Blue Nile governor, accompanied by other state government officials and the secretary-general of the state government.
Saif Al-Nasr Monallah, head of the state’s Supreme Council for Culture, Information and Tourism and government spokesman, condemned the strikes and blamed forces allied with the RSF.
He offered condolences to the families of those killed and said the state government would continue supporting the Sudanese army. He also called on residents to remain united.
The RSF has been fighting Sudan’s army since April 2023 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. Fighting has intensified in Blue Nile state in recent months, with the RSF and its allies seeking to expand their presence in areas bordering Ethiopia.
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