Drone strikes on civilian vehicles in Sudan killed more than 20 people over two days, according to rights and medical groups cited by The Associated Press, as unmanned aircraft played a growing role in the country's war.
Ten civilians died Tuesday on a road west of Omdurman, on the edge of Khartoum, while travelling to a wedding, the Sudan Doctors Network said. Five women from one family were among those killed. A witness told AP that the vehicle caught fire immediately and that nobody inside survived. The witness was not named because of fears of retaliation.
The medical group, which has monitored violence during the conflict between Sudan's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, blamed the RSF. It characterized the attack as deliberate and said a guided drone was used. AP's account did not report independent confirmation of that attribution.
Emergency Lawyers, another organization tracking violence, reported two other attacks. A drone struck a transport vehicle near a water facility on Tuesday, killing two people. A day earlier, 13 civilians died when their vehicle was hit as they travelled to a wedding in al-Shaatout, in North Kordofan. Five women were among those victims.
The lawyers' group said the incidents reflected a widening pattern in which drones were flying over northern parts of North Kordofan and observing residents' movements. The province had experienced increased drone activity while concern grew over an RSF advance toward el-Obeid, a strategically important city that hosts the army's 5th Infantry Division.
United Nations reporting cited by AP said drone attacks on el-Obeid had damaged civilian infrastructure, including neighborhoods and electricity facilities, while bridges and supply routes had also been targeted.
Sudan's war began in April 2023 after tensions between the army and RSF erupted into open conflict. At least 59,000 people had been killed and about 13 million displaced, according to the AP report. Famine affected multiple areas, more than 30 million people needed humanitarian aid, and Kordofan and Darfur remained major centers of fighting. Clashes had also spread across Blue Nile State.
In a separate battlefield development, the army said Wednesday that it had retaken Kurmuk, a strategic border town in Blue Nile State, after fighting with the RSF. It claimed the paramilitary force withdrew and abandoned weapons and military vehicles. AP said it could not independently verify that account.
The three reported vehicle strikes left at least 25 people dead in total. The accounts from the Sudan Doctors Network and Emergency Lawyers placed civilians travelling to gatherings or near a water facility among the victims, underscoring the immediate risks faced away from conventional front lines.
