40 civilians killed, 59 injured in drone strikes on 2 markets in Sudan

At least 40 people were killed and 59 others injured in drone strikes targeting two local markets in the cities of Abu Zabad and Wad Banda in West Kordofan State in Sudan, according to a medical source, an eyewitness, and a local community body, reported Xinhua.

A medical source in Abu Zabad told Xinhua on Sunday that a drone strike targeted a local market in the city around midday on Saturday.

Abu Zabad Central Hospital, the city's only functioning health facility, received the bodies of about 24 victims and more than 31 wounded, the source said.

Meanwhile, an eyewitness from the city of Wad Banda, about 16 km west of Abu Zabad, said a drone targeted the city's main market at around 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, killing 16 civilians and injuring 28 others.

For its part, the Dar Hamar Supreme Council, a local community body in West Kordofan State, condemned in a statement on Sunday what it called "a treacherous drone attack targeting civilians in the markets of Wad Banda and Abu Zabad on Saturday afternoon, the 18th day of Ramadan."

The council said the assault killed more than 40 civilians, describing the incident as "a horrific crime and a blatant violation of all humanitarian laws and norms."

The council held the Sudanese Armed Forces responsible for the attack and called on the UN Human Rights Council and international and humanitarian organizations to open an urgent and independent investigation into the incident and hold those responsible accountable.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in April 2023 and has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions inside Sudan and across its borders.