Sudan army drone attack on Darfur court kills 35: rights group

The Sudanese army on Sunday struck a traditional court in western Darfur under paramilitary control with drones, killing 35 people and wounding others, a rights group said.

The attack came days after Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), told his fighters to consider themselves "unleashed" in their war against the army following military gains in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

The Emergency Lawyers group, which has documented abuses by both sides throughout the conflict, said the strike hit the court in the village of Garra al-Zawaya at around 1:00 pm local time (1100 GMT), as civilians had "gathered to attend hearings on a number of local cases and disputes".

The strike also damaged the court building, a traditional institution used to resolve local and tribal disputes, the group said.

The conflict between the army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and triggered what the United Nations describes as the world's largest hunger crisis.

The war has effectively split Sudan in two, with the army controlling the north, east and centre of the country, while the RSF has consolidated its grip on Darfur and parts of the south.

Drone warfare has become an increasingly prominent feature of the conflict in recent months. According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 civilians were killed in such strikes during the first five months of this year.