A drone strike carried out by the Sudanese army on a traditional court session in North Darfur state has left 35 people dead and injured dozens of others, according to a local rights organization. The attack struck the village of Garra al-Zawaya, also identified as al-Zawiya Ghara in the Al-Serief locality, during an afternoon session on Sunday.
Sudanese Army Drone Strike Kills 35 at North Darfur Traditional Court
The Emergency Lawyers Group, an organization that monitors violence against civilians and documents abuses by both the army and its rival paramilitaries, reported that the strike occurred at approximately 1:00 pm local time (1100 GMT). The session was taking place under a tree with the participation of local community leaders as civilians gathered to attend hearings on local cases and disputes.
According to a local witness who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, two drones flew over the town before launching more than four missiles. The casualties included four tribal leaders and two commanders from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the witness added. The RSF’s self-declared government condemned the attack as a horrific crime, claiming that 37 people were killed and 50 others wounded. The Sudanese army did not issue an immediate response to the incident.
Context of the Conflict in Darfur
The village of Garra al-Zawaya is under the control of the paramilitary RSF and lies near the town of Kabkabiya in North Darfur. The location is approximately 150 kilometres west of El-Fasher, which served as the army’s last stronghold in Darfur before it was captured by the RSF during an offensive last October.
United Nations investigators previously stated that violence linked to the RSF’s siege and capture of El-Fasher bore the hallmarks of genocide. Following its takeover of El-Fasher, the RSF—which emerged from the Janjaweed militia accused of atrocities in Darfur in the early 2000s—consolidated control over much of the region.
The broader war between the RSF and the Sudanese army began in April 2023 amid long-simmering tensions between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The three-year-old conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions, and created severe hunger and displacement crises across the country.
Escalating Use of Drone Warfare
Rights organizations and international monitors have expressed growing alarm over the expanding use of unmanned aircraft in Sudan’s conflict. Following the El-Fasher campaign, both warring sides have increasingly relied on drone warfare.
Data from the United Nations indicates that more than 1,000 civilians were killed in drone strikes during the first five months of the year. The Emergency Lawyers Group condemned the strike on the traditional court, stating that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure represent a grave violation of international humanitarian law. The organization emphasized that the rising frequency of drones targeting civilian areas and public gatherings significantly exacerbates the risks faced by the local population.
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