FRI 9 JAN – Scores of people have been killed in a series of drone strikes across Sudan as the UN warns of “new waves of displacement” caused by the latest escalation of violence.
The last week has seen strikes across the Kordofan and Darfur regions as well as in River Nile and Gezira states, with both sides using foreign-made weaponry to hit targets - frequently civilian neighbourhoods or infrastructure - far outside their areas of control.
It comes amid increasing alarm about the humanitarian impact of the conflict - now in its 1,000th day - especially on civilians in the Kordofan region, which has become the main frontline between the warring parties.
Almost 65,000 people were displaced in Kordofan just in the final 10 weeks of last year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
On Tuesday, 13 people were reportedly killed in a drone strike on North Kordofan capital El Obeid, which sits on a key highway linking capital Khartoum with western Sudan and is currently held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The Sudan Doctors Network (SDN) said the strike hit Al-Jallabiya, a civilian neighbourhood with “no military sites or presence”, and that eight of those killed were children.
It said the attack was carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and represented a “dangerous escalation of the policy of indiscriminate killing and systematic bombing of safe residential areas”.
Two days earlier, a drone strike caused a fire at the local power station, temporarily cutting off the city’s electricity supply, TRT Afrika reports.
Speaking to Avaaz from inside El Obeid, one civilian said the city was facing continuous attacks by drones, and that previous power cuts had led to the deaths of sick children in its hospitals.
The source said the city remains cut off on three sides, with only the eastern road remaining open, leading to shortages of essential medical supplies like oxygen.
They added that a stream of people displaced by attacks in the surrounding area continue to arrive in the city, but that its displacement camps are unable to accommodate all of them, leaving many to live on the streets in shelters built from salvaged materials.
In South Kordofan, more than 20 people were killed on Tuesday in a drone strike on the N’Djamena market believed to have been carried out by SAF, Darfur24 reports. The market sits near the border with West Kordofan in an area controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).
Five women were killed, including one who was pregnant, as were a number of traders and displaced people, according to Darfur24.
The nearby city of Dilling - which, along with Kadugli to the south, is held by SAF but has been under a long-running siege by the RSF - has also seen a spate of recent drone attacks.
The UN said this week that a series of strikes between 1 and 3 January were believed to have caused civilian deaths and injuries, adding that conditions in the city were “dire” and “continuing to deteriorate as access to essential supplies is increasingly restricted”.
Speaking to the Ayin Network, local officials said there had also been an increase in drone activity on the road linking Dilling and Kadugli.
SAF units in the area are now outnumbered and facing critical shortages of supplies, Sudan War Monitor reports, while the SPLM-N has called on government forces to surrender and for civilians in both cities to evacuate.
Across the Kordofan region, a total of 64,890 people were displaced between 25 October and 30 December, according to the IOM, including 11,680 people displaced just in the week to 30 December.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that escalating violence in the Kordofan region continued to put “civilians at extreme risk and drive new waves of displacement”.
“Once again, OCHA reiterates its urgent call for the immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access,” it said.
As of September, a famine was underway in Kadugli, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. Similar conditions are believed to be present in Dilling, but a lack of access and data has so far prevented a formal classification. Food insecurity is also at emergency levels in much of the rest of Kordofan.
Two Hemedti relatives reportedly killed
In North Darfur, at least 51 people were killed on Saturday in drone strikes attributed to SAF on the RSF-held town of Al-Zuruq, which lies around 180km north of state capital El Fasher, France24 reports.
Two relatives of RSF leader Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, were killed in the strikes, according to eyewitnesses to the burial.
Also in North Darfur last week, an offensive by the RSF around the town of Kernoi killed 63 people and injured 57, a medical source told the AFP.
On 29 December, an estimated 500 people were displaced by heightened insecurity around Kernoi, some across the nearby border into Chad, according to the IOM.
The RSF now holds almost all of Darfur, including each of the five state capitals, but SAF maintains a presence on the western edge of North Darfur, along the border with Chad.
Many of the people who inhabit the area around Kernoi are from the ethnic groups, such as the Zaghawa and Fur, that have historically been targeted by the RSF.
In West Darfur, one civilian was killed and 600 people were displaced following two drone attacks in the Kulbus area on Saturday, according to OCHA.
In the eastern state of Gezira, one person was killed in a strike on a camp for the SAF-allied Sudan Shield forces, Sudan Tribune reports.
Footage posted on social media purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike showed a pockmarked car with its back window blown out.
The person killed is believed to have been a soldier, while five other people were reportedly injured.
Also on Wednesday, in River Nile state, at least one civilian was killed and others were injured after a drone crashed in a village near the city of Atbara, Sudan Tribune reports.
Atbara sits in SAF-held territory on a major road connecting capital Khartoum with Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast.
Numerous other drones were reportedly shot down by anti-aircraft defence systems while targeting other sites in the area, including Atbara airport.
Further drone strikes hit RSF sites in South Darfur capital Nyala and the West Darfur town of Al Firdous, while SAF intercepted strikes targeting an army air base, a military headquarters, and a dam in the Merowe area of Northern State, according to reports.
Both sides of the conflict have stepped up their drone warfare over recent months, although neither typically claims responsibility for individual strikes.
Numerous reports have set out evidence suggesting that drones manufactured in other countries, including Iran and China, are being used in Sudan.
On Thursday, the RSF claimed to have shot down a Turkish-made Akinci drone over Nyala, posting video of soldiers celebrating while standing around a craft in an area of scrubland.
Call for release of journalist Muammar Ibrahim
Throughout the 18-month siege of El Fasher, which ended with the RSF’s capture of the city in October, journalist Muammar Ibrahim remained inside, reporting on the devastating impact the siege was having on the civilian population.
Ibrahim was detained after the RSF took El Fasher and has been held since 26 October, with little information provided about his whereabouts or wellbeing besides a few clips following his capture that showed him surrounded by RSF soldiers.
Today, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), along with over 80 other rights groups and journalists, released a statement expressing concern about Ibrahim and calling for his release.
“We are particularly concerned by the absence of verified information about Mr. Ibrahim’s health, legal status, and conditions of detention,” it said.
“Since his arrest, he has largely been held incommunicado without access to family or legal counsel. Such circumstances raise serious concerns for his safety and well-being”.
The statement added that parties “exercising control over detainees bear responsibility for ensuring their humane treatment, including safeguarding their physical integrity and providing access to necessary medical care”.
“In light of these concerns, we urge the RSF to urgently release Mr. Ibrahim and to ensure his safety and physical well-being,” it said.
"We further urge all parties to the conflict in Sudan to respect the work of journalists and to refrain from actions that endanger journalists and media workers.
“Taking prompt and humane action in this case would help alleviate serious concerns about Mr. Ibrahim’s health and would represent an important step toward reducing harm to journalists operating in Sudan.”
The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts, and survivors of the war. Get in touch on +44 7514 796 678 or sudan@avaaz.org
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