Sudan army drone strikes kill more than 200 in West Kordofan and Abyei
Sudan's army has been accused of carrying out drone strikes that killed more than 200 people in West Kordofan and in the disputed border area of Abyei, according to sources cited in the latest reports. The attacks hit mourners travelling to a funeral in West Kordofan on Sunday evening and a market in Abyei on Monday. The incidents have intensified concern that the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces is widening into new areas.
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Sources told the Sudan War Observatory that the death toll from the strikes in two locations in West Kordofan reached 150. In Abyei, the region's information minister said 73 people were killed when drones struck a market. A military source said the army carried out the Abyei attack, claiming the market was being used as a fuel supply site for the Rapid Support Forces.
The wounded from the Abyei strike have been treated at Ameth Bek Hospital in Abyei town. The attack has also prompted a formal protest from South Sudan, which summoned Sudan's ambassador after the strike in the disputed border area. Abyei is jointly administered by Sudan and South Sudan, and its status has remained unresolved since South Sudan became independent in 2011.
The reported strikes matter because they point to the growing use of drones in Sudan's war, which began in 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Despite a partial arms embargo, foreign countries have been supplying both sides with drones, and they are increasingly being used as a weapon of choice. The conflict has already created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with hundreds of thousands killed and more than 14 million people displaced.
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The latest attacks also underline the strategic importance of Greater Kordofan, which links Darfur, held by the Rapid Support Forces, to Khartoum, now in army hands. The Sudan War Observatory said the wave of drone attacks began on Sunday evening and may have been launched from the army-held city of Kadugli in South Kordofan state. The region is also part of a wider conflict zone that has seen repeated fighting over territory, supply routes and control of resources.
What remains unclear is the full scale of the damage, the exact circumstances of each strike and whether the reported death toll will rise further. It is also not independently clear how many of the dead were civilians, although the reports say the victims included mourners and market-goers. The response from Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces to the latest allegations will be closely watched, along with any further diplomatic steps by South Sudan.
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