Drone strike on Sudan market town kills at least 80 as UN voices alarm over rising attacks

At least 80 people were killed when a drone struck a transport hub near a market in the town of Al-Dibab in Sudan's West Kordofan state on Sunday evening, according to a medical source and a witness quoted by news agencies.

Most of those killed were villagers waiting for rides home after market day. Dozens of wounded people were taken to the nearby town of Al-Mujlad, where a number of them later died, the medical source said.

Competing accusations

Al-Dibab lies in territory held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF-backed administration known as Tasis blamed the Sudanese army for the strike. There was no independent confirmation of who carried it out.

The attack was part of a broader wave of drone strikes in recent days. Al Jazeera, citing medics and rights groups, reported that more than 160 people have been killed across the country since Friday, with strikes blamed on both the army and the RSF. Incidents were reported in Khartoum, Blue Nile, South Darfur and elsewhere.

International response

The United Nations said on Monday it was alarmed by the continuing deadly drone strikes. Separately, the United States has urged the UN Security Council to push for a humanitarian truce and a wider arms embargo, a proposal opposed by China and Russia, according to Al Jazeera.

Sudan's war began in April 2023 after a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Estimates of the death toll vary widely, and the UN says around 13 million people have been forced from their homes, making it one of the world's largest displacement crises.

Why it matters

India has evacuated its nationals from Sudan in the past and has long-standing development and trade ties with the country. A prolonged conflict also deepens instability along the Red Sea, a key shipping route for Indian trade with Europe and Africa.