KHARTOUM – The United Nations has warned of continued air and drone strikes across Sudan, citing reports of dozens of civilians killed or injured in attacks on artisanal mining sites, residential areas and locations sheltering displaced families.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said in an update on Tuesday, Oct. 13, that it was deeply concerned by the continuing strikes and their impact on civilians, including families who had already fled the conflict in search of safety.
OCHA said dozens of people were reportedly killed and many others injured on Saturday after airstrikes hit artisanal gold-mining sites near Sudan’s border with Egypt. The update did not identify the specific locations or say who carried out the strikes.
On the same day, at least four civilians — a woman and three children — were reportedly killed in airstrikes in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State.
The incidents come amid Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023 and has displaced millions of people, disrupted livelihoods and severely damaged essential services across large parts of the country.
In West Kordofan, OCHA said a drone strike on Friday hit a building sheltering displaced families in An Nuhud locality, killing at least 12 civilians and injuring eight others.
Another strike in Ghubaish reportedly killed five civilians, including three children, in a residential neighborhood hosting displaced families, bringing the reported death toll from the two West Kordofan attacks to at least 17.
OCHA had earlier warned that the growing use of drones across Sudan was exposing civilians and displaced families to further death, injury and hardship.
The update also referred to a drone strike near a displacement site in Wad Al-Mahi locality in Blue Nile State, where more than 30 civilians were reported killed.
U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Denise Brown said on Oct. 10 that preliminary information indicated at least 31 civilians, mostly women and children, had been killed, with dozens more injured.
The displaced people at the site had fled recent fighting in Geissan and Kurmuk localities.
The Sudan Doctors Network and Blue Nile Governor Ahmed Al-Omda Badi attributed the attack near Abu Shendi to the Rapid Support Forces, while the U.N. statement did not identify the party responsible.
OCHA did not assign responsibility for any of the air or drone strikes cited in its latest update.
The agency renewed its call for all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and ensure accountability for serious violations.
