Sudan Reels as Escalating Drone Attacks Claim Over 160 Lives, Blame Divided

A surge in drone attacks across Sudan has resulted in the deaths of over 160 individuals in recent days, according to reports from medics and human rights organizations. In the capital, Khartoum, drone strikes on Monday claimed the lives of three children, as documented by Emergency Lawyers, a group monitoring violence against civilians amidst Sudan's civil war. Concurrently, more than 160 people were reported killed in the western regions of the country since Friday.

Responsibility for these attacks has been attributed to both the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and government forces. While the conflict between these factions began in 2023, the escalating use of drones in recent months has led to a growing number of civilian casualties.

The most devastating recent incident occurred near a market on Sunday evening in Al-Dibab town, located in the RSF-controlled southwestern state of West Kordofan. Residents and medical workers reported that a drone struck a transport hub where villagers had gathered after a market day, resulting in 80 fatalities. An additional 47 wounded individuals were transported to the nearby town of Al-Mujlad, where 30 succumbed to their injuries, according to a medical source cited by AFP news agency. Both the RSF’s self-declared administration, Tasis, and Emergency Lawyers have accused the army of perpetrating this attack.

In a separate incident in eastern Sudan, a military source stated on Sunday that air defenses successfully intercepted several RSF drones targeting the Atbara and Setit dams in Gadaref state, approximately 420km east of Khartoum. The RSF has not yet issued a comment on this matter.

Early Monday, another drone attack targeted Nyala, the capital of South Darfur and an RSF stronghold. Medical and RSF sources confirmed that 17 people, including seven RSF officers, were killed, with 23 others wounded.

Furthermore, an RSF drone attack on Friday struck a gathering of displaced people in Sudan’s Blue Nile province, near the border with Ethiopia, killing 41 individuals, according to Emergency Lawyers. The group has condemned this attack, labeling it a humanitarian tragedy.

The United Nations expressed alarm over the ongoing deadly drone strikes nationwide, which are resulting in civilian deaths, including children, and disrupting essential services. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, conveyed these concerns to reporters on Monday.

The current conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 following a dispute between military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, over plans to integrate the paramilitary forces into the Sudanese army. Conflict monitor ACLED reports that the fighting, now in its fourth year, has claimed at least 59,000 lives, though aid groups suggest the actual toll may be higher. The UN estimates that approximately 13 million people have been displaced, creating what aid organizations describe as the world's largest humanitarian crisis. This year, 33.7 million people across Sudan, including 17.3 million children, are in urgent need of food support, with an estimated 825,000 children facing severe acute malnutrition.

Efforts to de-escalate the situation have faced international divisions. The United States urged the UN Security Council to push for a humanitarian truce and expand an arms embargo on Sudan, but China and Russia opposed widening the embargo.