Sudan, drone strikes hit crowded markets and civilian sites

Bombardments against densely populated civilian infrastructure continue unabated in Sudan.

On 15 February, strikes on a market in the Kordofan region of central Sudan killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens, according to Agence Presse (AP). The attack, carried out using drones, targeted a market in the Sudri locality of North Kordofan state.

As reported by Emergency Lawyers, an organization monitoring violence against civilians, the bombing occurred at a time when the market was crowded with people, “exacerbating the humanitarian tragedy.” The group added that the number of casualties was likely to rise.

“The repeated use of drones to target populated areas shows a grave disregard for civilian lives and signals an escalation that threatens what remains of daily life in the province. Therefore, we demand an immediate halt to drone attacks by both sides of the conflict,” Emergency Lawyers said in a statement.

The use of drones striking vital infrastructure in cities and descending on densely populated areas has become a defining feature of Sudan’s bloody civil war. Drone attacks have also targeted medical facilities. On 7 February, a clinic run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was hit, leaving more than 10 people dead and at least 29 wounded.

Earlier in the second week of February, a drone strike near the city of Rahad in North Kordofan hit a vehicle carrying displaced families, killing at least 24 people. Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, during a visit to Port Sudan on January 19 warned that the proliferation of drones in the hands of both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) is prolonging the conflict and worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

Both warring parties possess drones in their arsenals, making it difficult to determine responsibility for individual attacks. Emergency Lawyers stated on X that the drones used in the 15 February attack belonged to the army and deliberately targeted the market. However, two military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP that the army does not target civilian infrastructure and denied any involvement.

During the three-year-long civil conflict, which has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over 12 million, both the RSF and the SAF have been accused of committing atrocities. Analysts increasingly warn that the combination of ongoing military operations, restricted humanitarian access and institutional collapse risks pushing Sudan beyond a critical threshold, accelerating famine, mass displacement and state fragmentation.

According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 8.4 million people in Sudan will require nutritional assistance in 2026, including around 5 million children under the age of five and 3.4 million pregnant or breastfeeding women.

AP, Maghrebi.org