A paramilitary drone attack on the army-held town of Kalogi in Sudan's South Kordofan state hit a kindergarten and a hospital, killing dozens of civilians, a local official said.
The attack, which took place on Thursday, involved three strikes, "first a kindergarten, then a hospital and a third time as people tried to rescue the children", Essam al-Din al-Sayed, head of the Kalogi administrative unit, told AFP using a Starlink connection.
He blamed the assault on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their ally, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North faction led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu.
Since April 2023, the army and the paramilitary RSF have been locked in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million.
Independent verification of reports from the Kordofan region remains difficult due to spotty communications, restricted access and ongoing insecurity.
The UN children's agency said the attack killed more than 10 children aged between five and seven, while the army-aligned foreign ministry put the overall death toll at 79, including 43 children.
"Killing children in their school is a horrific violation of children's rights," said UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett, urging all sides to halt their attacks and allow humanitarian access.
Following their late-October capture of El-Fasher - the army's last stronghold in western Sudan - the RSF has pushed eastward into the oil-rich Kordofan region, which is divided into three states.
More than 40,000 people have fled the region in the past month, according to the UN.
Analysts say the paramilitary offensive aims to break the army's final defensive arc around central Sudan and set the stage for attempts to retake major cities, including the capital Khartoum.
Last month the United Nations warned of "intensified hostilities" ahead in Sudan, despite paramilitary forces endorsing a truce proposal from mediators after more than two years of war with the regular army.
"There is no sign of de-escalation," UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
"Developments on the ground indicate clear preparations for intensified hostilities, with everything that implies for its long-suffering people."
In November, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it had accepted a truce plan put forward by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million and triggered a hunger crisis.
In October the RSF captured the city of El-Fasher, the army's last major stronghold in Darfur, giving it control of all five state capitals in the vast western region, in addition to parts of the south.
The army controls most of Sudan's north, east and centre.
El-Fasher's fall was accompanied by reports of mass killings, sexual violence and looting, drawing international condemnation.
