The United Nations human rights chief said he was alarmed after reports that drone strikes over two days killed at least 57 civilians in Sudan, including at least 15 children. The U.N. said the fatalities occurred between Sunday and Monday in separate attacks across four states.
According to the U.N., an alleged Sudanese Armed Forces drone strike hit Al Safiya market in Sudari locality, North Kordofan, on Sunday, killing some 28 civilians. The next day, the U.N. said an alleged SAF drone strike struck a displacement shelter in Al Sunut, West Kordofan, killing 26 civilians.
Also on Monday, the U.N. reported that the Rapid Support Forces carried out drone strikes on two primary schools in Dilling, South Kordofan. The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Turk, described the incidents as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of drone warfare in Sudan, noting that civilians and civilian infrastructure had been targeted.
"The continued attacks by all parties on civilian objects must stop. The parties must take urgent measures to protect civilians, including by refraining from the military use of civilian objects," Turk said, urging immediate measures to reduce harm to non-combatants.
The U.N. statement said that at least 57 civilians were killed during the two-day period and that at least 15 of those killed were children. The attacks spanned multiple types of civilian sites, including a market, a displacement shelter and primary schools.
Greater Kordofan - a region composed of three states - has become a new frontline in the nearly three-year conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The fighting has, according to the U.N., displaced millions and precipitated a humanitarian crisis.
Requests for comment sent to both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces did not receive immediate responses, the U.N. said.
Summary
At least 57 civilians, including at least 15 children, were killed in alleged drone strikes over two days in Sudan's Kordofan states. The U.N. human rights chief warned that such attacks on civilian objects underscore the severe humanitarian toll and urged parties to take urgent steps to protect civilians.
Contextual notes - The U.N. report identified specific strikes on a market, a displacement shelter and two primary schools within Greater Kordofan during a two-day span; the conflict between the SAF and RSF has displaced millions and triggered a humanitarian emergency.