Drone Strike Kills Dozens at Sudanese Marketplace Amid Ongoing Conflict

At least 28 people were killed and dozens injured when drones struck a crowded marketplace in Al-Saffiya, North Kordofan, Sudan, a local rights group reported. The attack, condemned as a violation of international humanitarian law, occurred amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 13 million people since April 2023.

At least 28 people were killed and dozens more injured in a drone strike on a marketplace in the Al-Saffiya area of North Kordofan in southern Sudan, a local rights group reported on Monday. According to the Emergency Lawyers group, which monitors and documents human rights abuses, the drones targeted a market located northeast of the Sodari locality. The group noted that the casualty figures are preliminary and could rise, as the attack occurred at a time when the market was crowded with women, children, and elderly people.
In its statement, the Emergency Lawyers group condemned the drone strike as a “serious violation of international humanitarian law” and emphasized that such attacks undermine the fundamental principle of protecting civilians during armed conflict. The statement also warned that the repeated use of drones in densely populated areas represents an escalation that threatens the safety of civilians and disrupts daily life in North Kordofan. The group called on all parties involved in Sudan’s ongoing conflict to immediately halt drone attacks, refrain from targeting civilian infrastructure, and fully comply with international humanitarian law. The statement did not, however, identify which party was responsible for the drone strike.
Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors Network reported early on Monday that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out an attack on Al Mazmoum Hospital in Sudan’s southeastern Sennar state on Sunday evening, killing three people and wounding seven others.
Sudan has been engulfed in a bloody conflict between the national army and the RSF since April 2023. The fighting has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the displacement of approximately 13 million people, and the creation of one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, according to reports from the United Nations.