Two children killed, 13 injured in RSF drone strike on mosque during Quran lessons in Sudan’s North Kordofan; attack condemned as war crime amid escalating civil war atrocities.
Drone Strike Kills Children at al-Rahad Mosque:
In a horrifying escalation of Sudan’s brutal civil war, a drone strike slammed into a mosque during early morning Quran lessons, killing two children and wounding 13 others-all young students attending religious instruction. The attack, which struck the Sheikh Ahmed al-Badawi Mosque in al-Rahad city, North Kordofan state, has drawn sharp condemnation as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, underscoring the relentless targeting of civilians and sacred sites in the conflict.
The Sudan Doctors Network, a key medical monitoring group tracking war casualties, reported the strike occurred at dawn on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Children were inside the mosque studying the Quran when the drone hit, turning a place of worship and learning into a scene of carnage. The network described the incident as a “grave assault on places of worship” and a “fully constituted crime” that cannot be justified.
Fajr Drone Strike Deepens Sudan’s Humanitarian Tragedy:
The full horror unfolded in the quiet hours of Fajr, when children gathered for religious education-a routine shattered by the explosion. The mosque, a community anchor in al-Rahad, suffered structural damage, with debris scattering across the courtyard where people now mourn.
This strike follows a grim recent pattern in North Kordofan. Just days earlier, on February 7, 2026, an RSF drone allegedly hit a vehicle carrying displaced families near Rahad, killing at least 24 people, including eight children. The UN and aid groups have condemned repeated attacks on civilians, aid convoys, and infrastructure, warning that such incidents exacerbate Sudan’s status as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Sudan’s War: Drones, Atrocities, Humanitarian Crisis:
Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). What began as a power struggle over integrating the RSF into the army has devolved into widespread atrocities, ethnic violence, and famine-like conditions affecting millions.
North Kordofan has become a fierce battleground, with the RSF controlling swaths of territory and using drones extensively. Reports document over 1,000 drone strikes since the war’s start, many in Kordofan and Darfur regions, causing thousands of deaths. The RSF has faced accusations of war crimes, including targeting civilians, while the SAF has been criticized for indiscriminate airstrikes. Both sides deny deliberately hitting non-combatants.
The humanitarian toll is staggering; nearly 30 million people need aid, with famine declared in parts of Darfur. Places of worship, schools, and hospitals have repeatedly come under fire, drawing UN warnings that aerial warfare threatens civilian lives and vital infrastructure.
The UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric called the repeated targeting a “tragedy in itself,” stressing that civilians, schools, hospitals, and places of worship “cannot and should not be targeted.”