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A drone strike ignited fuel reserves in western Sudan, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 people, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the French medical charity. The organization reported treating more than 20 individuals for injuries following the incident.
The attack occurred on Thursday at the Adikong market, situated near Sudan’s eastern border with Chad. MSF highlighted that this marks the second lethal drone strike in that area within the past month.
Among the casualties, at least 11 people suffered fatal burns, while 23 individuals, including seven children, were transported to a hospital in Adre, Chad for medical attention.
Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner, stated on Thursday that reports had reached his office indicating over 200 civilian deaths caused by drones in various regions of Sudan since March 4.
Turk noted that these attacks have led to considerable damage or destruction of numerous homes, schools, markets, and healthcare facilities.
Drones have become a key weapon used by both sides in the war between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces that began in April 2023.
The use of drones allowed the RSF to overcome the army’s air dominance earlier in the conflict.
On Wednesday, an explosive-laden drone blamed on Sudanese paramilitaries struck a secondary school and a health care centre in southern Sudan, killing at least 17 people, mostly schoolgirls, a hospital official and a medical group said.
At least 10 people were wounded in the strike in the village of Shukeiri in the White Nile province, according to Dr. Musa al-Majeri, director of the Douiem Hospital, the nearest major medical facility to the village.
The war-tracking Sudan Doctors Network reported the strike first, saying those killed included two teachers and a health care worker. The group said there was no military presence in the village.
The Rapid Support Forces are being blamed for the strike. The RSF didn’t respond to a request for comment.
“This horrific crime represents a continuation of the violations committed by the RSF in the White Nile,” said Dr. Razan Al-Mahdi, a spokeswoman for the medical group, adding that the paramilitaries attacked several civilian facilities in the past two days, including a student dormitory and a power station.
The strike in the village of Shukeiri in the White Nile province was the latest deadly attack in Sudan’s nearly three-year war.
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