As night fell over Kumo, families gathered in what remained of the schoolyard. Some searched for missing relatives; others prepared shallow graves. Blankets, scorched notebooks, and pieces of twisted metal littered the ground.

This was the aftermath of Nov. 29, when a sudden drone strike tore through the town, killing 45 civilians, many of them students.

Residents reported that a single unmanned aircraft appeared shortly before noon and dropped explosives on the classrooms and nearby homes, leaving dozens dead, others injured, and the community in shock.

“The sky was clear, then we heard a buzzing sound getting louder,” one survivor said. “I thought it was just passing, but then there was fire everywhere. We didn’t even have time to understand what was happening.”

Leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of carrying out the strike, calling it a deliberate attack on children.

“Our communities have been bombed before, but this strike deliberately hit schoolchildren,” a senior official said.

Kumo lies about six miles east of Kaoda, the administrative stronghold of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North in the Nuba Mountains. While the Sudanese Armed Forces have not issued an official statement, witnesses reported that the air force targeted training facilities and supply points controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North.

In the aftermath, local Christian leaders expressed grief at the scale of the devastation.
“We are burying children today,” said a pastor, who asked not to be named. “The suffering is real. Our people are shaken, and we are trying to comfort and aid families in any way we can.”

The attack comes amid rising coordination between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North and the Rapid Support Forces, who jointly carried out attacks on army-controlled Kartala earlier that week.

Residents report increased troop movements and checkpoints across South Kordofan. Leaders of the movement claim the drone strike mirrors earlier incidents they have documented, including attacks on Al-Hadra School and casualties in Heiban. Reflecting what they describe as a pattern of targeting civilian areas.

Tension continues to linger over Kumo, where safety is no longer familiar. Families struggle with their losses and the fear of what may come next.

“There is nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” another survivor said. “You just have to pray to God and wait for your fate.”

*Names of survivors and witnesses have been withheld for their safety.

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