Strike on market in Sudan kills at least 28 people, rights group says

A rights group says drone strikes hit a busy market in Sudan’s Kordofan region, killing at least 28 people

CAIRO -- Strikes on a market in central Sudan 's Kordofan region killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens, said a rights group on Monday, as the war between the army and a paramilitary group nears its three-year mark.

Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence against civilians, said in a statement that drones bombed a market in Sudri locality in North Kordofan province on Sunday, during a time the market was bustling with civilians, "exacerbating the humanitarian tragedy.” The group said the number of casualties was likely to rise.

“The repeated use of drones to target populated areas shows a grave disregard for civilian lives and signals an escalation that threatens what remains of daily life in the province. Therefore, we demand an immediate halt to drone attacks by both sides of the conflict,” the statement said.

Over a week ago, a drone close to the city of Rahad in North Kordofan hit a vehicle carrying displaced families, killing at least 24 people, including eight children. A day before that attack, a World Food Program aid convoy was targeted.

The fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military erupted into a full-blown war across the country in April 2023. So far, at least 40,000 people have been killed and 12 million displaced, according to the World Health Organization. Aid groups say the true war death toll could be many times higher, as the fighting in vast and remote areas impedes access.