At least 12 civilians were killed, including six children, when a drone strike targeted the paramilitary-held town of Kutum in Sudan's North Darfur, a medical source said Thursday.

The strike Wednesday comes amid an increase in drone attacks by both Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been at war since April 2023.

A medical source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that those brought to the hospital in Kutum included 12 dead, among them six children, including three female secondary school students.

Sixteen others were injured, including women and children, and are receiving treatment, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

The el-Fasher Resistance Committee, a pro-democracy group, said the strike hit the al-Salama neighborhood near al-Um Girls' School, blaming the army for the attack.

Last week, the United Nations said drone attacks had killed more than 500 civilians between January and mid-March, warning of "the devastating impact of high-tech and relatively cheap weapons in populated areas."

The conflict, now nearing its three-year mark, has killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 11 million people and created what the U.N. describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.