Drone attack on market in Sudan kills 11, as air war civilian toll mounts | Sudan war News
Drone Attack in Western Sudan Claims 11 Lives, Injures Many
A drone strike on a bustling market in western Sudan resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals and left dozens injured, including children. This incident occurred amid rising concerns from the United Nations, which reports that escalating aerial warfare in Sudan has led to over 200 civilian deaths in just over a week.
The attack on the Adikong market, located near the Sudan-Chad border, occurred on Thursday, igniting nearby fuel reserves and causing significant destruction to the area.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported on Friday that it has treated over 20 victims at a hospital it operates in Adre, just across the border. This includes seven children among the injured. MSF also noted that this attack marks the second deadly drone strike in the same location in less than a month.
Drones have increasingly become a pivotal tool in the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which commenced in April 2023.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk expressed his alarm on Thursday regarding the surge in aerial assaults on civilians, noting that more than 200 people have been killed by drones since March 4 across the Kordofan region and White Nile state.
“It is deeply troubling that despite multiple reminders and warnings, the conflict’s parties continue to utilize powerful drones to deploy explosive weapons in populated areas,” Turk stated.
Recent reports indicate that strikes attributed to the SAF have killed at least 152 civilians in West Kordofan, with several attacks on markets and hospitals resulting in substantial casualties. Notably, a double strike in al-Muglad on March 4 killed around 50 people.
On March 7, additional drone strikes on markets in Abu Zabad and Wad Banda resulted in at least 40 fatalities. A subsequent attack on a civilian truck in al-Sunut on March 10 claimed the lives of at least 50 individuals, including women and children.
Just a day before the Adikong market strike, the RSF targeted a secondary school and health center in the village of Shukeiri in White Nile state, killing at least 17, according to the Sudanese Doctors Network.
Mukesh Kapila, a professor of global health at the University of Manchester, highlighted that the rise in drone attacks is notable. “Drones have only recently been utilized in Sudan, and their use appears to be accelerating, particularly by the RSF,” he said.
Kapila explained the allure of drone strikes, describing them as “cheap” and “easily launched,” asserting that they have become “a weapon of mass terror.” He pointed to a pattern of targeting hospitals, markets, and water points as evidence of an intent to instill fear in the civilian population.
The SAF has received Iranian-made Mohajer-6 combat drones, with shipments noted as recent as 2024. Meanwhile, the RSF accesses drones through supply routes, reportedly supported by nations including the United Arab Emirates, which denies the allegations.
Since April 2023, the ongoing conflict has seen more than 1,000 documented drone attacks, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project. In the first two months of 2026 alone, ACLED recorded 198 strikes, resulting in at least 52 civilian casualties and a total of 478 deaths.
Reports suggest that Sudan accounted for over half of all drone attacks on the African continent in 2024. By March of last year, the SAF reported having shot down more than 100 drones within a span of ten days.
The protracted conflict has led to what is being called the world’s largest humanitarian emergency, with 33.7 million people in need of assistance— the largest such population globally. Additionally, more than 12 million individuals have been displaced from their homes, according to the UN.
