KHARTOUM, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 32 people were killed and 86 others injured in drone strikes in central and southern Sudan on Monday by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to local sources.
At least 27 people were killed and 73 others wounded in a drone strike by the RSF on a military base in the city of Sinja in Sudan's central Sinnar State, a government source in Sinnar State told Xinhua, adding that the death toll may rise due to the severity of injuries.
An eyewitness said the attack targeted the Sudanese army's 17th Infantry Division headquarters and nearby electricity and water facilities.
"There were simultaneous and powerful explosions in the city, along with the sound of Sudanese army anti-aircraft fire," the witness said, adding that casualties were taken to multiple hospitals in the state.
Informed sources confirmed the targeted location, saying the attack took place during a high-level security meeting attended by the governors of Sinnar, White Nile, and Blue Nile states, as well as military and security officials. The strike directly hit the meeting hall.
The Sinnar State government also issued a statement, saying Sinja was targeted on Monday afternoon by an RSF strategic drone, and that the Sudanese army's anti-aircraft defenses engaged the drone.
It acknowledged casualties among civilians, without providing an exact number.
Meanwhile, El Basha Tabig, advisor to the RSF commander, said in a post on Facebook that "the strike on the 17th Infantry Division headquarters is not an isolated incident."
"What happened sends a direct message to the army leadership and those supporting the continuation of the war," he said, threatening further escalation in the coming period.
It marked the first major security development in Sinja since the Sudanese army regained control of the city in November 2024.
Meanwhile, volunteer medics and eyewitnesses said five civilians were killed and 13 others injured in a drone strike on Monday on a market in Sudan's South Kordofan State.
The Sudan Doctors Network, a volunteer group, said in a statement the strike in the morning targeted the Kartala market in the Al-Jibal Al-Sitta (Six Mountains) area and was carried out by an RSF guided drone.
The network condemned the "direct attack" on civilians and held the RSF fully responsible, calling the strike a "flagrant violation" of international humanitarian law, and urging the international community to protect civilians in conflict areas.
Witnesses described the strike occurring during peak market hours with "no military presence at all -- only vendors and shoppers," noting that most of the injured were women and elderly people.
"We were inside the market when we heard the sound of the aircraft, then the explosion occurred suddenly. Panic spread, and we saw injured people on the ground before trying to help them with very basic means," an eyewitness told Xinhua.
The RSF has not issued a comment on the incident.
The Kartala area, under the control of the Sudanese army, is a strategic location southeast of the state capital Kadugli and east of Dilling, the state's second-largest city. It saw heavy fighting in November 2025 between the Sudanese army and RSF-aligned forces.
Sudan has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since April 15, 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the RSF, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced within the country and across its borders. ■