AT LEAST 17 people have been killed in Sudan in a drone attack on a school and health centre blamed on an paramilitary group allegedly backed by the United Arab Emirates.

Most of the dead in Wednesday’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attack on the village of Shukeiri in White Nile province are thought to have been children.

Dr Musa al-Mareri, director of Douiem hospital, the nearest medical facility to the village, said three girls had also suffered serious injuries. Two of them underwent surgery at the hospital, while the third was evacuated to the capital Khartoum.

The Sudan Doctors Network (SDN) said those killed included two teachers and a healthcare worker. The group said there was no military presence in the village.

Both the SDN and Dr Majeri blamed the RSF for the attack. The paramilitary group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SDN spokeswoman Dr Razan al-Mahdi said: “This horrific crime represents a continuation of the violations committed by the RSF in the White Nile,” adding that the paramilitaries had attacked several civilian facilities in the past two days, including a student dormitory and a power station.

The attack in Shukeiri was the latest deadly violence in Sudan’s nearly three-year war.

The country slid into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere.

While the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is accused of backing the RSF, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are said to be supporting the Sudanese military.

The UAE, Egypt and the Saudis all deny involvement in the conflict.

The devastating war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to UN figures, but aid groups say that the true number could be many times higher.

The war has been marked by atrocities including mass killings, gang rapes and other crimes, investigated by the international criminal court as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.