KHARTOUM — A suspected drone strike by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit a prison in the southern region of Kordofan on Saturday, killing at least 20 inmates and wounding 50 others, authorities said.

The attack targeted the main prison in Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, according to Information Minister Khalid Aleiser, who also serves as the spokesman for Sudan’s military-aligned government.

Aleiser blamed the RSF for the strike, calling it part of a broader escalation of drone attacks on military-held areas across the country.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF, which earlier this month launched multiple drone strikes on Port Sudan, the interim seat of government on the Red Sea. Those attacks targeted the city’s airport, seaport, and critical infrastructure including fuel depots.

Sudan descended into civil war on April 15, 2023, when long-standing tensions between the military and RSF erupted into full-scale fighting in Khartoum and across the country. Obeid is located approximately 363 kilometers (225 miles) south of the capital.

The RSF, which has seized territory in several regions, has increasingly relied on drone warfare. Last week, the Sudanese military carried out an airstrike on Nyala airport in South Darfur, where the RSF is reportedly receiving foreign military support, including drones. Local media said dozens of RSF fighters were killed in the strike.

In a separate incident Friday, the RSF launched an artillery barrage on a displacement camp in Darfur, killing at least 14 people, including two parents, their eight children, and the children’s grandmother, according to the Emergency Room, a civil group monitoring the conflict. The RSF has conducted nearly daily assaults on the camp and nearby el-Fasher, North Darfur’s provincial capital, which the group has sought to capture for over a year.

Last month, the RSF attacked Sudan’s largest displacement camp, Zamzam, killing over 400 people and forcing thousands to flee as the group took control of the site.

The war has killed at least 24,000 people, though actual figures may be far higher. More than 13 million people have been displaced, including 4 million who have fled to neighboring countries. Large parts of Sudan are facing famine conditions. — Agencies