The UN has issued a warning that increasing drone attacks throughout Sudan are seriously hindering humanitarian efforts meant to reach millions of people impacted by the ongoing conflict in the nation and posing an increasingly deadly threat to civilians.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued the warning on Monday, one day after dozens of people were reportedly killed or injured in a drone strike in the village of Ghara al-Zawiya in Sudan’s North Darfur province.
The attack resulted in significant civilian casualties, according to evidence provided by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR). A drone targeted a traditional court gathering on Sunday afternoon, killing at least 35 people and wounding dozens more, according to international media reports. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been condemned for the purported strike.
Additionally, OCHA warned that ongoing drone attacks in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, are putting civilians, vital infrastructure, and humanitarian relief activities at greater risk.
The people of Zawia Garra, where angels of wisdom and justice seekers met in a local court to handle their own legal matters, have become the victims of yet another war crime committed by SAF.
More than 37 local judges and justice seekers were murdered and injured in this aerial bombardment; a few known names:
- Teacher Ahmed Bakhit
- Uncle Alzain Alnour
- Abdallah Jad Alrab
- Uncle Aldoud Alnadeef
- Elnour Saeed Gibril, a notable youth leader
The world is watching, but it does nothing more than watch helplessly while SAF commits massacre after massacre without taking significant action to put an end to these crimes. The people of Sudan will not give up in the face of this international apathy until the victims receive justice, impunity is eradicated, and those guilty are held completely accountable.