In brief
Twenty‑five civilians and local leaders were killed when the Sudanese army fired a drone strike on a court session under a tree in Darfur’s Ghara al‑Zawiya village. The Emergency Lawyers Group, which monitors civilian violence, has demanded a formal inquiry and condemned the attack as a violation of international humanitarian law. The incident comes amid a three‑year conflict, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces controlling most of western Sudan. The UAE’s UN mission last year described RSF‑led attacks on cities as having genocide hallmarks. Human‑rights advocates warn that increasing drone use exacerbates civilian risk.
A Sudanese army drone bombed a traditional court session held under a tree in Ghara al‑Zawiya, a village within the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled area of northern Darfur. Thirty‑five people died, including four tribal leaders and two RSF commanders. Dozens more were wounded.
The Emergency Lawyers Group, a rights watchdog that tracks attacks on civilians, confirmed the casualty figures and called for a full investigation. It condemned the targeting of the court as a “grave violation of international humanitarian law” and warned that drone strikes increasingly target civilian gatherings.
The strike adds to the escalating violence of Sudan’s civil war, which has raged for over three years, killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. RSF’s 2019 siege of el‑Fasher was described by a UN fact‑finding mission as bearing genocide hallmarks.
The Sudanese army has so far not commented on the strike. The incident has intensified calls for an international review of the use of armed drones in the conflict.
