Drone strike on North Darfur court kills at least 35, rights group says

Drone strike on North Darfur court kills at least 35, rights group says Drone strike on North Darfur court kills at least 35, rights group says (middleeasteye.net) Submitted by Victoria Amani Mwaniki Kishoiyian (middleeasteye.net › victoria amani mwaniki kishoiyian) on Mon, 08/03/2026 - 21:29 The attack comes amid heightened Sudanese army drone operations across Darfur Protesters in Warsaw, Poland, hold placards during a protest against the Rapid Support Forces committing mass atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan, on 8 November 2025 (Neil Milton/Reuters) Off On Sunday, a drone strike, purportedly carried out by the Sudanese army, targeted Sudan's Customary Court in al-Zawiya Ghara, killing at least 35 people and injuring others. All the victims were inside the court building and its immediate surroundings when the attack occurred, according to the Emergency Lawyers Group (x.com), which monitors violence against civilians in Sudan. Al-Zawiya Ghara is one of many villages in North Darfur state controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The drone fired (sudantribune.com) at least four missiles at the court building while local leaders conducted a meeting. Among the dead are two RSF field commanders, four tribal elders, and traditional leaders hailing from the Mahameed branch of the Rizeigat, according to the Sudan Tribune. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Sunday's attack comes amid heightened Sudanese army drone operations across Darfur, closing in on RSF positions to weaken the paramilitary group after successive defeats (middleeasteye.net › inside uae backed rsf siege sudans el obeid) in North Kordofan. The largely RSF-dominated Sudan Founding Coalition, known as Tasis, blamed the Sudanese army for the strike. In the Sudan Tribune, a Tasis spokesperson, Ahmed Tugod Lisan, urged an independent investigation to hold those responsible to account. The Emergency Lawyers Group has demanded an investigation into the drone strike and denounced the targeting of the court, deeming attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure a “grave violation of international humanitarian law”. It further stated that drones are increasingly used to target civilian areas and gatherings, exacerbating the risks faced by the population. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The RSF also stands accused of committing war crimes, including carrying out drone strikes on civilians over the past three years of the war. The paramilitary group’s siege on el-Fasher, one of Darfur’s largest cities, in October of 2025, bore the “hallmarks of genocide” (middleeasteye.net) per a United Nations fact-finding mission. RSF commanders sentenced In early July, the anti-terrorism and crimes against the state court in Port Sudan sentenced RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, and 15 other defendants to death in absentia. (middleeasteye.net) UK hosting 'discreet' Sudan event featuring UAE-aligned RSF representatives Read More » (middleeasteye.net) According to the Sudan Tribune, they were convicted (sudantribune.com) of their roles in the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abdullah Abakar, crimes aga