Sudan Civil War Drone Attacks Claim 28 Civilian Lives
At least twenty-eight civilians have been killed in two separate drone strikes in Sudan, according to health workers, as the country's brutal civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) approaches its fourth devastating year. These latest attacks underscore the escalating violence against non-combatants in a conflict that has already displaced over 11.6 million people.
Market Strike in North Darfur Kills 22
A drone strike hit a market in the town of Saraf Omra, located in North Darfur state, on Wednesday, resulting in significant casualties. "Twenty-two people, including an infant, and injuring seventeen more," reported a health worker at the local clinic to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Hamid Suleiman, a trader at the market, described the scene: "The drone hit a parked oil truck, which caught fire along with part of the market." This market serves a remote area near the border with Chad, and it remains unclear which side launched the drone.
Highway Attack in North Kordofan
Another drone strike targeted a truck carrying civilians on a highway in an army-controlled area of North Kordofan, approximately 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of Darfur. "Six bodies arrived at the hospital yesterday, three of them charred, in addition to ten wounded," a source at the hospital in El Rahad told AFP, attributing the attack to the RSF. This road, running east to west through the state capital El Obeid and onwards to Darfur, has been repeatedly subjected to drone attacks from both the army and the RSF.
Background of the Conflict and Humanitarian Catastrophe
Civil war erupted in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, on April 15, 2023, when a power struggle between the army and RSF escalated into open warfare. Since then, the conflict has spiraled into what aid organizations describe as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 11.6 million people displaced from a population of about 51 million. Vast regions of the country are now at severe risk of famine, exacerbating the suffering.
Estimates of the death toll range widely, from tens of thousands to over 400,000. In a particularly horrific incident, more than 10,000 people are believed to have been massacred by the RSF in El Fasher over just two days in October 2025. The use of drone strikes against civilians has surged this year, especially in the Kordofan region, according to United Nations reports.
Rising Drone Casualties and Recent Incidents
Marta Hurtado, spokesperson for the UN high commissioner for human rights, stated this week that more than 500 civilians were killed by drones between January 1 and March 15. In a stark example, a drone strike on a hospital in East Darfur on March 20 killed 64 people and wounded 89, as reported by the World Health Organization. The Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese group documenting atrocities, identified the drone as belonging to the army.
As the civil war nears its fourth anniversary, the international community faces mounting pressure to address the escalating violence and humanitarian disaster in Sudan, where civilian lives continue to be lost in targeted attacks.
