In the war-ravaged landscape of Sudan, tragedy struck again on December 5, 2025, when a series of drone attacks devastated the town of Kalogi in South Kordofan state. According to multiple local officials and humanitarian organizations, the strikes targeted a kindergarten, a hospital, and the rescuers who rushed to aid the victims, leaving a death toll that has shocked a nation already reeling from two years of relentless conflict.
Essam al-Din al-Sayed, the head of the Kalogi administrative unit, described the harrowing sequence of events in a statement to Agence France-Presse, relayed via a Starlink connection due to widespread communication blackouts in the region. "First a kindergarten, then a hospital and a third time as people tried to rescue the children," he recounted. The attacks, he said, were carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—a powerful paramilitary group—alongside their ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) faction led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu.
The South Kordofan state government initially reported eight deaths, but as the dust settled and more bodies were found, the toll climbed sharply. By Sunday, officials confirmed that 79 civilians had been killed, including 43 children and four women, with 38 others injured. Local and international aid groups warn that the true number of casualties may be even higher, given the chaos and ongoing violence that have made accurate reporting nearly impossible. The Sudan Doctors’ Network and the army both corroborated the scale of the tragedy, noting that the kindergarten was struck twice by missiles from drones, and that both civilians and medics who rushed to help were also attacked.
Images and testimonies from the scene paint a grim picture. According to BBC, women and children were among those caught in the carnage, while the Sudan War Monitor, a group tracking the conflict, reported significant damage to civilian infrastructure. The attacks have been roundly condemned by rights groups and international organizations. Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights group, called the strikes "a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians, especially children, and vital civilian infrastructure."
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was swift to denounce the assault. Sheldon Yett, UNICEF’s representative for Sudan, stated, "Killing children in their school is a horrific violation of children’s rights." He continued, "Children should never pay the price of conflict. UNICEF urges all parties to stop these attacks immediately and allow safe, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to reach those in desperate need." UNICEF reported that more than 10 children aged between five and seven were among the victims, emphasizing that attacks on schools and hospitals are grave violations of children’s rights.
The violence in Kalogi is part of a broader, intensifying conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army, which began in April 2023 after a power struggle between the two former allies spiraled into civil war. The Kordofan region—comprising North, South, and West Kordofan—has become a new frontline as the RSF, fresh from its capture of El-Fasher in late October, pushes eastward into the oil-rich heartland of Sudan. Analysts cited by FRANCE 24 and AFP suggest that the paramilitary offensive aims to break the army’s last defensive arc around central Sudan and set the stage for an assault on major cities, including the capital Khartoum.
In the days following the Kalogi attack, the violence has only escalated. On December 1, Sudanese military aerial strikes reportedly killed at least 48 people, mostly civilians, in Kauda, another town in South Kordofan. The RSF, for its part, accused the army of launching a drone strike on a market at the Adre border crossing with Chad on December 6, targeting what it claimed was a fuel depot used for aid and commercial supplies. The military did not immediately respond to these allegations, and independent verification remains elusive due to restricted access and ongoing insecurity.
The war’s toll has been staggering. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 40,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted, with 12 million displaced from their homes. Aid groups caution that the actual death toll may be much higher, as communication blackouts and the dangers of travel have made it nearly impossible to account for all the victims. The United Nations reports that more than 41,000 people have fled escalating violence in North and South Kordofan alone over the past month, deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
As the RSF consolidates its hold over the Darfur region—controlling all five states except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control—the army retains most of the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum. The shifting front lines have left millions of civilians caught in the crossfire, with basic services collapsing and access to food, water, and medical care growing increasingly scarce.
International observers, including the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, have warned that Kordofan could face atrocities similar to those witnessed in El-Fasher, where the RSF’s violent takeover was marked by executions, rapes, and other grave abuses. The South Kordofan state government has called on the international community and human rights organizations to take a firm stance, urging them to designate the RSF as a "terrorist organization" and hold its leaders and allies accountable for what it described as "inhumane crimes."
Meanwhile, the prospects for peace appear dim. The RSF’s advances signal a determination to press their advantage, while the army has shown little willingness to yield ground. Both sides have traded accusations of targeting civilians and obstructing humanitarian aid, with each blaming the other for attacks on markets, hospitals, and vital infrastructure.
Despite the mounting horrors, many Sudanese and international organizations refuse to give in to despair. UNICEF, the Sudan Doctors’ Network, and Emergency Lawyers continue to demand an immediate halt to attacks on civilians and unfettered access for humanitarian assistance. Their voices, echoed by countless Sudanese families and aid workers, serve as a reminder that even in the darkest moments, the fight for justice and protection of the innocent endures.
As Sudan’s civil war grinds on, the tragedy in Kalogi stands as a stark symbol of the conflict’s human cost—a cost measured not just in numbers, but in shattered lives and stolen futures. The world’s attention, fleeting as it may be, is once again drawn to the suffering of Sudan’s children. For their sake, advocates say, the violence must end.
