A Sudanese military drone attack in Omdurman, a city near the capital Khartoum, has killed 15 civilians, according to a pro-democracy lawyers’ group on Monday. The attack highlights the devastating toll of the war, now in its 20th month, which has plunged Sudan into a severe humanitarian crisis that the international community has yet to fully comprehend, a senior United Nations official has warned.
The Emergency Lawyers, who have been tracking human rights violations during the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reported that the drone strike occurred on Saturday. The lawyers stated that the attack killed 15 people, left six others injured, and two individuals remain missing. The incident took place in western Omdurman, a region under RSF control, even though most of the city remains in the army’s hands.
The drone targeted a truck carrying milk barrels from nearby villages after it reportedly broke down near a camel market. Initial evidence indicates that the victims were primarily herders and workers involved in milk transport.
The war has already caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people, displaced millions, and pushed the northeast African nation to the brink of famine, according to aid organisations. Both warring sides – the army and the RSF – face accusations of attacking civilians and indiscriminately bombarding residential areas.
Tensions have remained high across Khartoum’s greater region, with the RSF controlling Khartoum North (Bahri) and parts of the surrounding areas. Residents frequently report shelling from both sides, with artillery fire and shrapnel wreaking havoc on homes and civilians.
Omdurman experienced its fiercest clashes in months last Tuesday. Reports from witnesses describe heavy artillery strikes hitting the city from multiple directions. According to state governor Ahmed Othman Hamza, an RSF paramilitary shell hit a passenger bus, killing 22 people on board and leaving them unrecognisable. He condemned the attack as a “massacre” by the “terrorist militia”.
In a separate incident, fighting escalated in Sudan’s far west on Sunday. Activists reported an RSF drone strike in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, which claimed at least 38 lives.
Speaking from Geneva, Mamadou Dian Balde, a senior United Nations official overseeing the UN refugee agency’s Sudan crisis response, emphasised the need for urgent diplomatic intervention and urged the UN Security Council and influential nations to act decisively to stop the conflict.
