The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, said a suicide drone attack wounded eight civilians in Sudan’s Blue Nile region, as fighting intensifies around strategic areas near the Ethiopian border.
In a statement published on Tuesday, the movement said the drone struck civilians on Monday morning in Anjeli, in El Kurmuk county, part of what it calls New Funj. The attack destroyed the home of local chief Habil Malkal and wounded him, along with three women and an eight-year-old child, it said.
The SPLM-N accused SAF-linked drones of previously targeting unarmed civilians in other parts of New Funj, including Yabus and Balila, describing the attacks as violations of international humanitarian law.
The latest accusation comes amid escalating battles in Blue Nile between General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) and forces aligned with the Sudan Founding Alliance, including the RSF and SPLM-N.
The SAF said this week it had recaptured the strategic areas of Magja and Surkum after heavy fighting. Surkum is seen as important because it lies on a route toward El Kurmuk, near the Ethiopian border.
The fighting has deepened displacement across Blue Nile. Radio Dabanga, citing the International Organization for Migration, reported that nearly 60,000 people were displaced in the region between January and late May, including more than 10,000 during a three-week period in May alone.
