28 killed, dozens injured in drone strike on Sudanese market in North Kordofan

ISTANBUL

At least 28 people were killed and dozens injured in a drone strike on a marketplace in the Al-Saffiya area of North Kordofan in southern Sudan, a local group said Monday.

In a statement, the Emergency Lawyers group, which documents rights abuses, said drones hit a market northeast of the Sodari locality, noting that the toll is preliminary and may rise as the attack took place at a time when there were many people at the market, including women, children, and elderly people.

The group condemned the attack as a “serious violation of international humanitarian law” and undermined the principle of civilian protection during armed conflict.

The statement warned that the repeated use of drones against populated areas reflects an “escalation” that threatens civilian safety and daily life in the state, calling on all warring rivals in Sudan to halt drone attacks, stop targeting civilian infrastructure, and comply with international humanitarian law.

The statement did not identify the party responsible for the drone strike.

Sudan has been locked in a bloody conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, killing tens of thousands, displacing about 13 million people, and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to UN reports.