Sudan drone strike kills 11 in market, rights group says

At least 11 people died and dozens more were injured in a drone strike that hit a market in central Sudan, a local rights group reported. The attack on Saturday targeted the main market in Abu Zaeima, a town in North Kordofan state controlled by paramilitary forces. Emergency Lawyers, which has been documenting abuses since the conflict began in April 2023, stated that the casualty figures could rise. The group condemned the strike, noting it occurred less than 24 hours after similar drone attacks hit nearby villages and a civilian vehicle. They emphasized that the repeated targeting of civilians shows a blatant disregard for human life and international humanitarian law, calling for an end to such attacks and accountability for those responsible. Witnesses reported another drone strike later on Saturday at a fuel station in el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, where four wounded civilians were taken to a hospital. Drone warfare has become increasingly common in Sudan's conflict, with nearly 70 people killed in two separate drone strikes in West and North Kordofan states over the past week, according to Emergency Lawyers and a local leader. The United Nations reported in May that at least 880 civilians had been killed nationwide by drone strikes between January and April. The ongoing war, now in its fourth year, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced nearly 13 million people, creating what the UN describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.

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The continued loss of civilian life should not be treated as routine and called for an end to such attacks, as well as accountability for those responsible.