At least 52 people have been killed in a wave of drone attacks blamed on General al-Burhan’s SAF across six locations in Sudan’s Kordofan and Darfur regions since Thursday, according to local sources, rights groups and political authorities in areas outside the Port Sudan junta’s control.
The attacks targeted civilian areas, markets and passenger vehicles, fuelling fear among residents as drone warfare continues to expand across Sudan’s conflict zones.
In South Kordofan’s Dilling, local sources said the city came under a series of drone attacks from Tuesday morning, with several sites inside the city and on its outskirts targeted.
More than eight drones were reportedly launched at different times during the day, causing panic among residents. No official casualty figures or damage reports from Dilling had been released by the time of publication.
The attacks came amid heightened military tensions across South Kordofan, where residents have called for urgent measures to protect civilians and prevent further escalation.
In North Kordofan’s Um Rawaba, at least eight people were killed and others wounded in drone strikes on Monday and Tuesday, witnesses told Radio Dabanga.
Witnesses said a drone struck the city’s Al-Gharbiya neighbourhood on Tuesday, causing an unspecified number of casualties. A separate strike on Monday killed eight people, including engineer Jaafar Hassan, a man identified as Barir, the driver of the city’s electricity department vehicle, and police assistant Hassan Musa.
Residents said the strikes had caused widespread panic, with many fearing further attacks and a worsening security situation in the city.
The Emergency Lawyers group said 18 people, most of them young men and including two children, were killed on Thursday when drones struck two civilian vehicles travelling from Um Bader to Armal in North Kordofan.
The vehicles were carrying traders, the group said, adding that both were completely destroyed and everyone on board was killed.
Emergency Lawyers also said intensified drone activity in the area had forced the closure of Abu Zaima market, disrupted local trade and pushed up the cost of basic goods.
In South Darfur, the Sudan Founding Alliance, known as Tasis, condemned a drone attack on the market in Kabum that killed 12 people and wounded dozens more.
Tasis said the strike hit a restaurant and a passenger vehicle with three missiles, describing the attack as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and basic human values.
In Ardamata, West Darfur, at least four people were killed in a separate drone attack.
The United Nations also expressed concern over the killing of civilians during the Eid al-Adha holiday, as violence continued to escalate in parts of Kordofan and Darfur.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said 10 people, including three children, were killed in Um Dukhun, Central Darfur, on Saturday.
The latest attacks come as General al-Burhan’s SAF increasingly relies on air power and drones in areas where its ground forces have struggled to advance, raising further concerns over the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
