Drone Strikes Kill More Than 160 People Across Sudan

Drone attacks across Sudan have killed more than 160 people in recent days, including dozens near a market in West Kordofan and three children in the capital, Khartoum, as fighting between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensifies. Medics and rights groups reported the casualties, while the United Nations condemned the attacks on civilians and warned of continuing disruption to essential services.

The deadliest reported strike occurred Sunday evening near a market in Al-Dibab, a town in RSF-controlled West Kordofan state. Residents and medical workers said a drone hit a transport hub where villagers were gathering to return home after market day, killing 80 people.

A witness, Ahmed Wadi, described helping bury victims, including his brother, after the attack struck the crowded transport area twice about 10 minutes apart.

"50 bodies who I helped bury, one of them my own brother Mohamed" was how Wadi described the toll in testimony reported by The Guardian.

Wadi used a satellite internet connection to communicate despite a local communications blackout. He said 47 injured people were transported to nearby Al-Mujlad for treatment.

A medical source who requested anonymity for safety reasons confirmed the death toll and reported another strike in Al-Mujlad.

"A total of 80 people were killed in the drone strike on al-Dibab, and another drone strike on al-Mujlad injured four who are currently being treated." The medical source said the 47 people initially transported for treatment included 30 who later died from their injuries.

The RSF-declared administration, known as Tasis, and the rights group Emergency Lawyers accused the Sudanese army of carrying out the Al-Dibab attack. The military and RSF have repeatedly traded accusations over civilian deaths as drone warfare expands across the country.

In Khartoum, Emergency Lawyers said an RSF drone attack killed three children, aged two, four and six, in the Imtidad Nasser neighborhood east of the airport on Monday. Resident Sayed Mustafa described seeing a drone approach the airport before anti-aircraft fire and an explosion nearby.

"Shortly after, the drone went down, and we heard an explosion near the airport," Mustafa told The Associated Press. Emergency Lawyers condemned the children's deaths and described the incident as a "serious violation" requiring investigation and accountability.

Elsewhere, medical and RSF sources said a drone attack early Monday in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, killed 17 people, including seven RSF officers, and wounded 23. In eastern Sudan, a military source said air defenses intercepted RSF drones targeting the Atbara and Setit dams in Gadaref state.

Emergency Lawyers also said an RSF drone attack on a gathering of displaced people in Blue Nile province near the Ethiopian border killed 41 people on Friday. The group described the incident as a humanitarian tragedy.

The growing death toll has drawn condemnation from the United Nations, which said the attacks were killing civilians, including children, and disrupting essential services. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, outlined the organization's concerns.

"We are alarmed by the continued deadly drone strikes across the country that are killing civilians, including children, and that are disrupting central services," Dujarric told reporters.

The conflict began in April 2023 after a power struggle between Sudanese military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, escalated into open warfare. The dispute centered on plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the national army.

Conflict monitor ACLED estimates that at least 59,000 people have been killed, although aid organizations believe the actual toll is higher. The United Nations estimates that approximately 13 million people have been displaced, while 33.7 million people, including 17.3 million children, need food assistance in 2026. An estimated 825,000 children face severe acute malnutrition.

Between January and April, drone strikes accounted for at least 880 civilian deaths, representing more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan, according to figures cited by The Guardian.

Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations undersecretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, warned the Security Council that the conflict and humanitarian emergency were deteriorating without a clear path toward resolution.

DiCarlo said the situation was worsening "with no breakthrough on the horizon" and warned that the warring parties remained focused on military gains rather than negotiations.

"They [the warring parties] are not moving closer to dialogue. On the contrary, they seem to believe that they can make greater gains on the battlefield and that continued external support will allow them to pursue their objectives by force." DiCarlo said the parties were not moving toward dialogue despite the deteriorating crisis.

The United States urged the UN Security Council to pursue a humanitarian truce and expand the arms embargo on Sudan. China and Russia opposed widening the embargo, leaving international efforts to increase pressure on the warring parties facing continued disagreement.