Drone attack hits market and hospital in South Darfur as tribal war intensifies
June 2, Kubum — A long-range drone strike struck a crowded marketplace and a rural hospital in the town of Kubum on Monday, causing multiple civilian casualties and fueling fears that localized ethnic warfare could destabilize neighboring Central Darfur State.
The aerial attack comes amid a sharp escalation in tribal clashes between the Salamat and Beni Halba ethnicities inside Kubum and its surrounding areas. Both factions have continued to mobilize fighters and funnel tribal reinforcements to the theater of conflict.
The Salamat and Beni Halba are among the most prominent tribal components to have declared allegiance to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since the early days of the ongoing Sudanese war, supplying thousands of combatants to active military operations.
Local sources told Sudan Tribune that a long-range drone fired approximately three missiles directly into the center of the Kubum market and the town’s rural hospital, killing and injuring several civilians.
In a video circulated online, a local medical doctor treating the wounded accused the RSF of orchestrating the drone strike. He claimed the aircraft had launched from Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, to provide tactical air support for one of the warring ethnic factions.
The strike coincided with further ground devastation, as gunmen set fire to Kubum and the nearby town of Markundi late Sunday night. The arson destroyed dozens of homes and forced an influx of civilians to flee under grueling humanitarian conditions.
Fears are mounting that the conflict will spill over into Central Darfur State, as aggressive mobilization campaigns gain traction in the Um Dukhun area, which borders the Central African Republic. Local leaders there are actively urging youth to join the tribal battlefronts.
The current violence mirrors a bloody conflict between the Salamat and Beni Halba in 2023, which centered around Kubum locality and the Um Labassa administrative unit in South Darfur before expanding into vast swathes of Central Darfur. That wave of fighting resulted in massive casualties on both sides and displaced thousands after their villages were razed.
The RSF faces persistent accusations of complicity and active participation in the tribal bloodletting. Social media footage published by activists shows tribal gunmen from both sides wearing RSF uniforms, driving its military vehicles, and utilizing heavy weaponry exclusively available to the paramilitary group.