Drone strike near market kills 80 people in Sudan

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, October 20, 2026

A drone strike near a market in al-Dibab, West Kordofan, killed around 80 people as they gathered to return home after market day, with dozens more wounded or later dying from injuries. This attack highlights the rising use of drones in Sudan's conflict, which has caused the majority of civilian deaths since fighting began in April 2023 and shows no sign of abating amid stalled peace efforts.

A drone strike near a market in the town of al-Dibab in West Kordofan state, southern Sudan, killed approximately 80 people on Sunday, according to witnesses and medical sources. The attack targeted a transportation hub where many commuters were gathering to return to their villages after market day.

Ahmed Wadi, a local resident who helped bury around 50 victims, including his brother Mohamed, described two drone strikes occurring about 10 minutes apart. He reported that 47 people injured in the attack were taken to the nearby town of al-Mujlad. A medical source, speaking anonymously, confirmed that 30 of those transported later died from their injuries and that a separate drone strike in al-Mujlad wounded four others currently receiving treatment.

The incident marked one of the deadliest single attacks since the armed conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023. The violence began as a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, primarily in the capital city of Khartoum. The RSF, which controls West Kordofan, attributed the drone strike to the Sudanese army.

Drone attacks have increasingly contributed to civilian casualties in the ongoing war. Research indicates that drone strikes caused at least 880 civilian deaths between January and April alone, representing more than 80% of all civilian fatalities linked to the conflict during that period.

The escalation of drone use follows a recent attack on a bustling livestock market in Nyala, South Darfur’s capital, where the SAF claimed to have targeted RSF fighters. However, the RSF disputed this, accusing the military of killing 30 civilians.

The conflict has inflicted a heavy toll, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing countless others. It is also marked by foreign involvement, with external actors providing support to both sides. Last week, Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, cautioned the Security Council about the worsening humanitarian situation. She noted that the warring parties appeared unwilling to engage in dialogue, instead relying on continued external support to advance their objectives by force, with no resolution in sight.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.