Rania Abushamala
19 June 2026•Update: 20 June 2026
The Sudanese rights group, Emergency Lawyers, said Friday that nine people were killed and others injured after a drone operated by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck a passenger vehicle carrying civilians in North Darfur state in western Sudan.
The group said RSF forces targeted the vehicle with a drone Thursday at the Sabreen market in the Malha locality of North Darfur, killing nine civilians and injuring others.
It added that the death toll is expected to rise due to ongoing attacks and difficult conditions on the ground.
The group also said RSF drones struck the Um Bayada market in the locality, triggering a massive fire that destroyed the market and caused extensive damage to civilian property.
It urged an immediate halt to all operations targeting civilians and civilian objects, and urged protection for markets, villages and sources of livelihood.
Meanwhile, the Malha Emergency Room, a relief group, confirmed that a vehicle carrying a group of civilians came under shelling, killing nine people and injuring 12 with varying degrees of injury.
It did not, however, specify who was responsible for the shelling.
The group added that “a drone strike on Um Bayada market triggered a massive fire that destroyed shops, leaving nearly 50 families without their sole source of income.”
It appealed to national and international humanitarian organizations and charitable bodies to act immediately to save the injured and assist the affected families.
The Darfur region accounts for roughly one-fifth of Sudan’s total area of more than 1.8 million square kilometers, while most of the country’s 50 million people live in areas controlled by the army.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the army and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the military. The war has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands and displacing nearly 13 million.
