15 civilians killed in North Kordofan drone attacks

At least 15 civilians were killed and dozens more injured in a series of drone attacks on villages and a market in North Kordofan over the weekend, while a separate drone strike on a fuel station in El Obeid left one person dead and several others wounded.

The attacks targeted Abu Zaima market and nearby villages in Hamrat El Sheikh locality on Friday and Saturday.

The Emergency Lawyers Group said a drone struck Abu Zaima market on Saturday morning, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens. The organisation described the casualty toll as preliminary and warned that the number of victims could rise.

A day earlier, drones attacked villages near Abu Zaima, killing at least two civilians and injuring five others. Three of the wounded were in critical condition and were transferred to a nearby area for treatment.

In a separate strike in the same area on Friday, a drone hit a civilian vehicle, killing two civilians and injuring another person.

The attacks brought the death toll from the two days of strikes in Hamrat El Sheikh locality to at least 15 civilians, with dozens wounded.

The Emergency Lawyers Group said the latest incidents raised the number of civilian vehicles targeted in the area since 28 May to five. It warned of a recurring pattern of attacks on civilian transport and other non-military targets.

The group condemned the strikes, saying they formed part of a continuing pattern of direct attacks on civilian objects and constituted a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

“The repeated targeting of civilians, villages and civilian means of transport reveals a blatant disregard for the lives of the population and the basic rules of international humanitarian law,” the organisation said.

It called for an immediate end to the attacks and demanded accountability for those responsible.

Fuel station hit in El Obeid

In a separate incident on Saturday, a drone reportedly belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck a fuel station in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, killing one person and injuring several others.

The El Gezira Observatory for Human Rights said the drone remained over the city for varying periods before carrying out the strike. The attack targeted the Charter fuel station, triggering a massive explosion that shook the city and sent flames and thick smoke into the sky.

Residents reported scenes of panic as the blast reverberated across El Obeid.

Eyewitnesses said at least one person was killed and several others wounded.

The observatory said the city had come under repeated drone attacks in recent weeks. It described the targeting of civilians and service facilities as a dangerous escalation in the conflict.

The organisation condemned repeated attacks on populated areas, civilian infrastructure and public facilities, and renewed calls for an urgent humanitarian truce, an unconditional ceasefire, and a political process aimed at achieving lasting peace in Sudan.