Drone Strikes Claim Lives of 28 Civilians in Sudan

At least 28 civilians have died following two drone strikes in Sudan, with one targeting a marketplace in Darfur and the other impacting a roadway in Kordofan as violence intensifies in the region.

Health officials indicated that a Wednesday strike, dated March 25, in Saraf Omra, North Darfur, resulted in 22 fatalities, including a child's, and left another 17 individuals injured. Local vendor Hamid Suleiman recounted, "The drone hit a parked oil truck, igniting it and part of the nearby market."

In a separate incident hundreds of kilometers away in North Kordofan, a drone attack set aflame a vehicle on the road connecting El-Rahad to Um Rawaba, claiming six more lives. A medical source reported, “Six bodies were received at the hospital yesterday, three of which were burned beyond recognition, along with 10 others injured,” attributing the assault to the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.

These attacks form part of an escalating trend of drone warfare between Sudan’s armed forces and the RSF, both accused of deliberately targeting essential infrastructure and civilian regions.

The United Nations has reported that over 500 civilians have been killed in drone strikes from January to mid-March this year. The UN has consistently urged for restraint and emphasized the need to safeguard civilians, yet these calls have reportedly had minimal impact.

The ongoing conflict that erupted in April 2023 between former allies has led to the deaths of tens of thousands and has displaced approximately 11 million individuals, resulting in what the UN characterizes as the largest humanitarian crisis in terms of hunger and displacement worldwide.

Recent events have raised further alarms, such as an attack on El-Daein Teaching Hospital in Darfur that resulted in 70 fatalities and another strike near the Chadian border that left 24 people dead.

Chad’s Minister of Information, Gassim Cherif Mahamat, has cautioned that the country is preparing for a "proportional response" should any further cross- border attacks transpire. Meanwhile, Pekka Haavisto, the UN’s newly appointed envoy to Sudan, has initiated a visit geared towards endorsing peace efforts, amidst ongoing international calls for a ceasefire.