Sudan drone strike kills 41 near Ethiopia; Lebanon lifts US flight ban

A drone strike attributed to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces killed at least 41 people, including eight children and many women, in the Abu Shandi area of Blue Nile province near the Ethiopian border on Friday, according to Emergency Lawyers, a rights group monitoring the conflict. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it was "appalled by horrifying reports," noting that initial accounts suggested most casualties were women and children. Dozens more were wounded in the attack, which targeted a camp for displaced people in a region that had faced sustained attacks in recent weeks.

The strike underscores the escalating humanitarian toll of Sudan's conflict, which began in April 2023 when tensions between the military and the Rapid Support Forces erupted into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and spread nationwide. According to conflict monitor ACLED, the war has killed at least 150,000 people, though aid organizations say the actual toll is likely much higher. The fighting has forced more than 12.4 million people to flee their homes, creating what humanitarian groups describe as the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Across Sudan, 33.7 million people—including 17.3 million children—urgently need aid this year, and an estimated 825,000 children face severe acute malnutrition.

U.N. humanitarian coordinator Denise Brown called for accountability, stating: "Condemning these senseless killings is essential, but there must also be accountability for this flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law." Both the Sudanese military and the RSF have been accused of using drone attacks during the conflict. The army controls much of Sudan's central and eastern regions, while the RSF is headquartered in the western region of Darfur and also controls areas in the south.

In related developments, Lebanon welcomed the official lifting of a U.S. flight ban that had been in place since 1985. The Reagan administration had suspended direct flights following the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847. President Trump announced the decision in July during a visit by Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and officially ordered the restrictions lifted nearly two weeks ago, with the public announcement made on Saturday. Aoun welcomed the decision, saying it signaled U.S. confidence in Lebanon's steps to improve civil aviation safety. The move comes after the Iran-backed Hezbollah group was significantly weakened by military conflicts with Israel over the past two years.