Dozens killed in North Kordofan air strikes, rights group says

July 28, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Dozens of civilians were killed in a series of air strikes targeting multiple locations across North Kordofan State, a legal rights group said on Tuesday.

The attacks coincided with a sharp escalation in military clashes from July 24 to 26, following a major army ground offensive that secured strategic areas and cleared the Rapid Support Forces from key routes.

Emergency Lawyers said in a statement that a drone targeted a water station in the village of Um Nabqa Mur in the Raheed Al-Nuba area on July 24. A separate drone strike hit a civilian vehicle in the Um Daraba area the following day, killing two people.

On July 26, another drone attack targeted a water well, a health centre, and a school in the village of Al-Sha’atout in the Hamrat Al-Sheikh region. On the same day, an Antonov aircraft bombed a civilian vehicle carrying fuel in Um Badr, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties.

The rights group warned that the rising strikes on civilian gatherings, water sources, and transport vehicles are driving new waves of displacement and worsening an acute humanitarian crisis.

The statement noted that targeting critical infrastructure and civilian populations in pastoral communities severely threatens food security and may amount to war crimes if proven intentional or disproportionate.

Emergency Lawyers called for an immediate halt to attacks on civilians and civilian objects, demanding independent investigations, accountability for perpetrators, and unhindered access for humanitarian aid.