A drone strike allegedly carried out by Sudan’s military killed four civilians and wounded several others in West Kordofan state on Saturday, October 17, according to the Kordofan Observatory, a local human rights monitoring group.
The attack targeted a civilian vehicle near the Ankoush area as passengers travelled from Abu Galb, in West Kordofan’s Abu Zabad locality, towards Al-Mazroub in neighbouring North Kordofan.
The observatory identified those killed as Maryam Ali, also known as Al-Haja Maryam, Umm Khamis Ali, Al-Touma Ali and Fadl Al-Sid Ali. Several other passengers were injured, some critically.
According to the monitor, the vehicle was transporting patients seeking medical treatment alongside residents travelling to purchase essential supplies.
The incident comes amid an escalation in drone attacks across the Kordofan region, where fighting between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has increasingly threatened civilian communities and disrupted vital transport routes.
Large parts of West and North Kordofan remain affected by military operations, severely restricting access to markets, healthcare facilities and humanitarian assistance.
The observatory warned that attacks targeting civilians could constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and potentially amount to war crimes.
It called for an investigation into the incident, independent documentation of casualties and accountability for those responsible.
The group also reported several earlier attacks across the region, including a strike in Fuja on October 14 that killed three civilians and another in Al-Janana village near Wad Banda that killed a child.
A separate drone attack was reported in the Abu Zaeima area on the same day.
Condemning the growing use of drones in populated areas, the observatory urged Sudan’s military to immediately halt attacks endangering civilians while calling on the RSF to avoid deploying forces in residential neighbourhoods.
