At least 28 civilians killed in drone strike on busy market in West Kordofan, rights group says

May 19, Kordofan — At least 28 civilians were killed and dozens wounded on Tuesday when a drone operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces struck a crowded market in the city of Ghabesh in West Kordofan state, according to the Emergency Lawyers human rights group.

The group said in a statement that the strike hit the Ghabesh local market “while it was packed with civilians,” causing deaths and injuries of varying severity. It held the army fully responsible for what it described as a war crime, saying the attack was part of a pattern of using collective pressure through “intimidation and starvation” as a weapon, compounded by deliberate food scarcity and rising commodity prices.

The Emergency Lawyers said the documented facts of the attack, considered alongside the repeated targeting of markets, establish direct legal liability and add to an accumulating record of violations that strengthens the legal basis for holding perpetrators accountable.

Ghabesh market is one of the main commercial hubs in the region, serving hundreds of thousands of civilians across West Kordofan and neighbouring areas as a primary source of food and basic goods.

Videos circulating on social media following the strike showed RSF military vehicles near a restaurant in the Ghabesh market that had been hit in the drone attack, suggesting RSF personnel were also present at the site at the time of the strike.

Both parties to the conflict have escalated drone attacks across wide areas of Kordofan and Darfur. Between January and April, 28 attacks were recorded against markets and 12 strikes against healthcare facilities, with fuel depots and supply routes also repeatedly targeted.

On 11 May, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said drone strikes had killed 880 civilians, accounting for more than 80% of all conflict-related civilian deaths recorded between January and April 2026.