Sudan drone strikes kill eight civilians, injure dozens

Eight civilians were killed and dozens injured in drone strikes in Sudan’s Kordofan region, an independent rights group documenting abuses in the conflict said on Friday.

Emergency Lawyers said a drone targeted a group of civilians travelling through the desert town of Sowdari in North Kordofan state on Thursday. A second drone reportedly struck as people gathered to help those injured in the initial attack.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the group said deliberately targeting civilians and then carrying out a second strike while victims were being rescued would constitute a violation of international humanitarian law and amount to a war crime. It called for an independent investigation to establish responsibility for the attacks.

Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese military. According to conflict-monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, at least 59,000 people have been killed since the war began. Aid organisations have warned that the actual death toll is likely significantly higher.

Drone warfare has increasingly become a major feature of the conflict, with both the RSF and the military using drones in attacks. The United Nations has identified drone strikes as the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan, accounting for about 80 per cent of civilian fatalities recorded during the first four months of 2026.

with inputs from AP