At least 28 people were killed and many others injured in a drone strike on a market in Sudri, Kordofan, Sudan, according to the human rights group Emergency Lawyers on Monday, February 16. The attack occurred during a busy period on Sunday, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation. The group warned that the death toll could rise and described repeated drone strikes in populated areas as a grave disregard for civilian life. It urged all sides to immediately halt such attacks, claiming the strike came from army-operated drones.

Two unnamed military officials told the Associated Press that the army does not target civilian sites and denied any involvement in the incident. Just a week earlier, another drone strike near Rahad killed at least 24 people, including eight children, while a World Food Programme convoy was also attacked the previous day.

The conflict between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023, has escalated into a nationwide war. The World Health Organization reports at least 40,000 deaths and 12 million displaced people, with aid agencies warning the real figures may be higher.