Sudan Army Drone Strikes Reportedly Kill Over 300 During Attacks

The Sudanese army has been accused of executing multiple drone strikes that are believed to have killed over 300 individuals, including many on their way to a funeral. According to the Sudan War Observatory, a monitoring organisation tracking the ongoing conflict that began in 2023, 150 casualties were reported from attacks in two regions of West Kordofan on Sunday evening. In the disputed region of Abyei, which lies along the border with South Sudan, 153 fatalities occurred as drones targeted a market on Monday, as stated by the local information minister.

A military source confirmed to the BBC that the army conducted the offensive in Abyei, asserting that the market was a key fuel supply point for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This escalation has heightened tensions between South Sudan and Sudan, both of which administer Abyei despite competing territorial claims dating back to South Sudan's independence in 2011. In response, South Sudan has summoned Sudan's ambassador to issue an official protest regarding the incident.

Concerns are mounting regarding potential spillover effects of the conflict into South Sudan. Despite an existing arms embargo on Sudan, foreign nations have been providing military drones to both Sudan’s army and the RSF, making these unmanned aerial vehicles increasingly prominent in the ongoing clashes. The war has precipitated one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with hundreds of thousands of lives lost and over 14 million people displaced from their homes.

United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric expressed alarm over the persistent lethal drone strikes affecting civilians, including children, and disrupting critical services across the region. The escalating use of armed drones coincides with a worrying trend of acute hunger affecting 20 million people, with famine looming in parts of Darfur and Greater Kordofan.

The drone strikes reportedly commenced on Sunday evening, and the Sudan War Observatory suggested they were launched from Kadugli, a city under army control in South Kordofan. In one incident, a truck carrying around 200 mourners from the northern region was struck as it reached Al-Dabab in West Kordofan, resulting in 145 deaths and injuries to at least 150 more, according to the monitoring group.

The bombardments also targeted a market in Al-Mujlad, West Kordofan, earlier that same evening. While the exact casualty figures from this attack remain unclear, the Sudanese army has not yet responded to claims regarding the strikes, though they maintain that they do not intentionally target civilians, even when they suspect that RSF fighters may be present.

The assault in Abyei occurred at around 11:30 local time, near the Amiet Market, situated approximately 10 kilometres (six miles) from the town of Abyei, as reported by local information minister Yohana Akol Ngor. The death toll in this incident rose from an earlier estimate of 73 to 153, with Ngor describing the situation as "horrible and shocking".

Additionally, investigative work by BBC Verify examined satellite images showing extensive damage at Amiet Market, corroborated by footage capturing significant smoke plumes and explosions. A trader from the market, Fadlallah Adam Hamouda, stated that the bombardment caused widespread devastation, stating, "the market was completely destroyed, and the bombing spread terror among the local populace."

Another local trader highlighted their disbelief, noting the presence of United Nations peacekeepers in the region since 2011, claiming that it was ostensibly a weapons-free zone. The trader lamented the extensive damage, with flames from the fuel market threatening the nearby residential structures as emergency services struggled to retrieve bodies amid the chaos.

On Monday, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported treating injured individuals from the Amiet Market strike, with over 20 patients admitted, including people in critical condition. MSF's manager at a local hospital, Christian Lindauer, confirmed that surgical and emergency care is being provided for victims of the drone strikes.

Furthermore, a separate drone attack near Khartoum’s airport on Monday resulted in four fatalities, three of whom were children, according to reports from AFP, citing medical sources. It was also noted that Sudan's air defences had intercepted several drones reportedly launched towards the airport by the RSF.

The intensified fighting in Kordofan, a strategically significant area abundant in gold and oil, has escalated in the past year following the army regaining control of Khartoum from the RSF. Visit BBCAfrica.com for additional news related to Africa.