The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been accused of executing a series of devastating drone strikes across western and border regions, killing more than 300 people, including civilian mourners attending a funeral and shoppers at an open-air market.
According to a BBC report, the strikes commenced on Sunday evening in two locations across West Kordofan state, claiming at least 150 lives, monitoring group Sudan War Observatory confirmed through field sources.
A subsequent strike targeted a bustling commercial marketplace on Monday in the disputed, oil-rich border enclave of Abyei, situated between Sudan and South Sudan, killing 153 individuals. A Sudanese military official confirmed to the BBC that the army carried out the Abyei operation, alleging the targeted marketplace was being used as an operational fuel logistics hub by the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The United Nations expressed grave concern over the rising civilian casualties and the weaponization of uncrewed aerial vehicles. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday that consecutive drone strikes across Sudan are killing civilians—including children—while severely paralyzing basic humanitarian and emergency service infrastructure.
Since erupting in April 2023 out of a power struggle between the national army and the RSF, the civil war has increasingly transformed into a drone-heavy conflict. Despite partial UN arms embargoes, third-party nations have reportedly continued funneling advanced aerial systems and surveillance technology to both warring factions.
The strike in Abyei has ignited fresh cross-border friction between Khartoum and Juba. The territory remains co-administered under unresolved sovereignty disputes dating back to South Sudan’s 2011 independence referendum. Following the market bombardment, the South Sudanese government formally summoned the Sudanese ambassador in protest.
Conflict analysts warn that cross-border aerial incursions could spill Sudan’s internal warfare into neighboring states, further destabilizing the Horn of Africa. The wider humanitarian crisis remains among the world’s most catastrophic: more than 14 million people have been forcibly displaced and tens of thousands killed amid nationwide famine and public health collapse.
Source: BBC