**Khartoum, Sudan** – A chilling escalation in the protracted conflict gripping Sudan has seen a surge of drone attacks indiscriminately targeting civilian infrastructure, leaving a trail of devastation and mounting international alarm. In recent days, communities across the White Nile province and western Sudan have borne witness to the horrific consequences of explosive-laden drones striking schools, healthcare facilities, and bustling marketplaces, resulting in a significant loss of innocent lives and widespread injuries.
The latest harrowing incident occurred in Shukeiri village, White Nile province, where a drone strike obliterated a secondary school and a nearby healthcare centre. Eyewitness accounts and reports from medical personnel indicate that at least 17 individuals, predominantly schoolgirls, educators, and healthcare workers, perished in the assault. An additional ten people sustained injuries, with three young girls suffering life-altering wounds. This attack, which has been attributed by local health officials to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), represents a grave continuation of the violations witnessed in the region, according to Dr. Razan Al-Mahdi, spokesperson for the Sudan Doctors Network.
The carnage did not end there. In Adikong market, a vital trading hub in western Sudan near the Chadian border, a similar aerial assault claimed the lives of at least 11 people and left dozens more injured, including children. The impact of the explosive device reportedly ignited fuel reserves, exacerbating the devastation. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which is providing critical medical support in the region, reported treating over 20 individuals from the Adikong market attack, seven of whom were minors.
These recent atrocities are symptomatic of a broader, deeply concerning trend. Over the past week alone, since March 4th, more than 200 civilians are reported to have been killed by drone strikes across the Kordofan and White Nile states. The West Kordofan region has been particularly hard-hit, with at least 152 civilian fatalities attributed to strikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Earlier this month, on March 4th, a simultaneous attack on a market and hospital in Al-Muglad claimed approximately 50 lives. Further market attacks in Abu Zabad and Wad Banda just three days later resulted in at least 40 additional deaths. The grim tally continued on March 10th when a truck transporting civilians in Al-Sunut was struck, killing at least 50 people, including women and children. In the days preceding the Shukeiri strike, the RSF has also been implicated in attacks on civilian facilities in White Nile, including a student dormitory and a power station.
The ongoing conflict, a brutal power struggle between the SAF and the RSF that erupted in April 2023, has plunged Sudan into a profound humanitarian crisis. The increasing reliance on increasingly sophisticated drones capable of delivering explosive payloads in populated areas has drawn sharp condemnation from international bodies. Volker Turk, the UN Human Rights Chief, expressed profound dismay, stating, “It is deeply troubling that despite multiple reminders, warnings and appeals, parties to the conflict continue to use increasingly powerful drones to deploy explosive weapons in populated areas.”
The relentless drone attacks not only inflict immediate casualties and widespread suffering but also cripple essential services and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation. The war has, according to UN figures, claimed over 40,000 lives, though aid organizations suggest the true number is considerably higher. The targeting of civilian areas, including educational and medical facilities, raises grave concerns about adherence to international humanitarian law and the deliberate disregard for the protection of non-combatants. As the conflict grinds on, the skies over Sudan have become a theatre of terror, with civilians caught in the crossfire of an escalating aerial war.