UN alarmed after more than 200 civilians killed in Sudan drone strikes

More than 200 civilians have been reported killed in drone strikes in Sudan since 4 March, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said, according to The New Arab and agencies on 13 March.

The attacks were reported in several parts of the country during the ongoing conflict.

Türk said he was “appalled” by the deaths linked to drones carrying explosive weapons and warned that their deployment in populated areas risks indiscriminate harm. He said the attacks highlighted the increasing role of drones in the conflict and the danger they pose to civilians.

He called on all parties involved in the fighting to respect international humanitarian law and take steps to protect civilians. Attacks that fail to distinguish between military targets and civilians may constitute serious violations of international law, he said.

In West Kordofan, at least 152 civilians were reportedly killed by Sudanese Armed Forces drone strikes. The deaths included at least 50 people when a market and hospital were hit on 4 March in the town of Muglad. Attacks on markets in RSF-controlled Abu Zabad and Wad Banda on 7 March also left dozens of civilians dead.

Türk also voiced alarm at the expansion of the conflict into neighbouring White Nile state. Rapid Support Forces drones have struck several civilian sites since 4 March, including a secondary school and a health clinic in Shukeiri village on 11 March that reportedly killed at least 17 people. A drone strike on a university dormitory in the state capital Kosti on 9 March also wounded seven students.

Sudan’s conflict began in April 2023 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The war has displaced millions of people and spread across several regions, including Darfur and other parts of westernand central Sudan.

The U.N. human rights office said the use of explosive weapons in populated areas continues to cause widespread harm to civilians as the conflict continues.

 

The New Arab and agencies, Maghrebi.org