Drone strike on civilian vehicles kills 10, including eight children, in West Kordofan

May 31, Khartoum— Ten people, including eight children, were killed and others wounded when a drone struck two civilian vehicles on the Abu Zabad–Al-Fula road in West Kordofan state, the National Umma Party said on Saturday.

The party attributed the strike to an army drone, saying in a statement that it “condemns the attack that targeted two civilian vehicles on the Abu Zabad–Al-Fula road by an army drone, resulting in the deaths of ten citizens, including eight children, and wounding a number of others with injuries of varying severity.”

Activists circulated video footage showing a civilian vehicle with charred bodies inside, which they said documented the aftermath of the strike.

The party said repeated drone attacks on civilians in populated areas and along roads constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a disregard for the sanctity of human life. It called on all parties to the conflict to strictly adhere to international humanitarian law and take immediate measures to protect civilians.

West Kordofan has come under repeated drone strikes in recent months. The most recent major incident before this attack was a strike on Ghabesh market on 19 May, which killed 28 civilians according to rights groups.

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 hit. On 11 May, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said drone strikes had killed 880 civilians — more than 80% of all conflict-related civilian deaths — in the first four months of 2026.