A series of drone strikes have recently caused significant civilian casualties amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attacks, occurring in multiple locations across Sudan and in disputed border areas, have intensified concerns over the humanitarian toll and violations of international law.
On Friday, a drone strike attributed to the RSF targeted a gathering of displaced people in Abu Shandi, located in Sudan’s Blue Nile province near the Ethiopian border, resulting in the deaths of 41 individuals, including eight children and numerous women, according to Emergency Lawyers, an organization monitoring the conflict. Dozens were also reported injured. The RSF did not respond to requests for comment. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs condemned the attack, emphasizing the urgent need for accountability and expressing alarm at the ongoing suffering faced by Sudan’s population amid the war that erupted in April 2023.
In the capital Khartoum on Monday, another drone strike reportedly carried out by the RSF killed three children aged two, four, and six in the Imtidad Nasser neighborhood near the airport. Residents described seeing a drone approach the area before being targeted by anti-aircraft fire, culminating in an explosion. This strike is part of an escalation in air attacks around Khartoum and the Kordofan region, where several recent strikes have resulted in civilian deaths.
Meanwhile, in Abyei—a disputed territory claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan—a drone strike by the Sudanese army on Monday killed 53 people at Amiet market. Local authorities said the attack involved at least 22 munitions and wounded 27 others. Victims included many women, children, elderly individuals, local merchants, members of the Ngok Dinka community, South Sudanese returnees, and Sudanese refugees seeking safety. The Abyei area remains volatile due to its disputed status and overlapping control by Sudan’s military, South Sudanese forces, and factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, which is divided in its allegiances amid the Sudanese conflict.
South Sudan’s foreign ministry condemned the attack, summoning the Sudanese ambassador and demanding explanations for the strikes, which reportedly targeted multiple locations within the market—a crucial trading point for goods destined for RSF-held regions.
The recent wave of drone strikes comes amid one of the deadliest phases of Sudan’s conflict, which began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese military and the RSF. According to monitoring groups, the fighting has already resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, with many estimates suggesting substantially higher numbers. One of the deadliest recent incidents occurred on Sunday evening in Al-Dibab town in West Kordofan, controlled by the RSF, where a drone strike hit a transport hub near a market, killing at least 80 people, including dozens of civilians awaiting transportation. Witnesses and medical personnel described mass casualties and efforts to recover bodies from the scene.
The intensification of drone warfare in Sudan’s conflict has amplified calls from humanitarian and international organizations for restraint and adherence to international humanitarian laws to prevent further civilian suffering in the region.