As the conflict intensifies, two distinct drone strikes in Sudan have k!lled at least 28 civilians, one targeting a market in Darfur and the other striking a road in Kordofan.

A strike in Saraf Omra, North Darfur, on Wednesday, March 25, k!lled 22 people, including a child, and injured 17 more, according to medical personnel. According to local vendor Hamid Suleiman, “the drone struck a parked oil truck, which caught fire along with part of the market.”

Hundreds of kilometres away in North Kordofan, another strike set a vehicle ablaze on a road between El-Rahad and Um Rawaba, k!lling six civilians. “Six bodies arrived at the hospital yesterday, three of them charred, in addition to 10 wounded,” a medical source said, blaming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The attacks are part of a wider pattern of escalating drone warfare between Sudan’s army and the RSF, with both sides accused of targeting infrastructure and civilian areas.

According to the United Nations, more than 500 civilians have been k!lled in drone strikes between January and mid-March alone. The UN has repeatedly called for restraint and the protection of civilians, but the appeals have had little effect.

The ongoing war, which began in April 2023 between former allies turned rivals, has k!lled tens of thousands and displaced around 11 million people, creating what the UN describes as the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis.

Recent incidents have further heightened concerns, including a strike on El-Daein Teaching Hospital in Darfur that k!lled 70 people, and another attack near the Chadian border that left 24 d3ad.

Chad’s information minister, Gassim Cherif Mahamat, warned that his country was preparing a “proportionate response” if further cross-border attacks occur. Meanwhile, the UN’s new envoy to Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, has begun a visit aimed at supporting peace efforts, as international calls for a ceasefire continue.