Rights Group Says Drone Strike Kills 11 People in Central Sudan Market

Rights Group Says Drone Strike Kills 11 People in Central Sudan Market
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A drone strike on a market in central Sudan has killed at least 11 people and wounded dozens more, according to a local rights group, as aerial attacks continue to intensify in the country’s ongoing war.

Emergency Lawyers said the strike hit the main market in Abu Zaeima, a town controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in North Kordofan State. The group, which has documented abuses since Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023, warned that the death toll could rise.

The organization did not identify who carried out the attack, and neither the Sudanese army nor the RSF has claimed responsibility.

Emergency Lawyers said the market strike came less than 24 hours after similar drone attacks hit nearby villages and a civilian vehicle. It condemned the repeated targeting of civilians, villages, and public transport, calling it a clear disregard for human life and international humanitarian law.

Witnesses also reported that another drone struck a fuel station later the same day in el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, where medical sources said four wounded civilians were taken to hospital.

Drone warfare has become increasingly common in Sudan’s conflict. The United Nations said at least 880 civilians were killed in drone strikes across the country between January and April.

The war, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 13 million people, creating what the UN describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.