Drone strike kills at least 11 at Sudan market, rights group says

A drone strike hit the main market in Abu Zaeima, a town in North Kordofan state, on Saturday, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens more. Emergency Lawyers, a local rights group, documented the casualties and stated that the toll could rise. The group did not identify who carried out the attack, and neither side in the conflict has claimed responsibility.

Recent strikes The same group said the market strike occurred less than 24 hours after similar drone attacks on nearby villages and a civilian vehicle. Two witnesses told AFP that another drone later struck a fuel station in el-Obeid, the state capital, where a medical source reported four wounded civilians brought to a hospital.

Nearly 70 people were killed in two separate drone strikes across West and North Kordofan states over the past week, according to Emergency Lawyers and a local leader.

Broader context The United Nations reported that at least 880 civilians died in drone strikes nationwide between January and April. The war, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 13 million people, creating what the UN describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.

More than 300,000 people have fled front-line areas since the Rapid Support Forces captured el-Fasher last October. Kordofan remains contested between the army and the paramilitary group.