The Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR) documents a series of drone attacks carried out between 6 and 8 June 2026 across North Kordofan State that killed at least 18 civilians and left dozens more wounded, striking a market, villages, civilian vehicles, and a fuel station. The attacks were carried out by the warring parties to Sudan’s conflict, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), whose escalating drone campaign across North Kordofan has claimed the lives of at least 33 civilians in the seven days preceding 8 June 2026 alone. The RSF has been specifically identified as responsible for the strike on the Charter fuel station in El Obeid. The attacks represent a continuation of a pattern of strikes on civilian targets that has intensified significantly across the state in recent weeks.
Hamrat El Sheikh Locality: At Least 15 Killed Over Two Days
Drone strikes hit Abu Zaima market and surrounding villages in Hamrat El Sheikh locality on Friday 6 June and Saturday 7 June. At least 15 civilians died and dozens more were injured.
On Friday morning, drones attacked villages near Abu Zaima. At least two civilians died and five others were injured. Three of the wounded were in critical condition. They were transferred to a nearby area for treatment. Later the same day, a drone struck a civilian vehicle in the same area, killing two more civilians and injuring one other person.
On Saturday morning, a drone struck Abu Zaima market directly. At least 11 civilians died and dozens were injured. The Emergency Lawyers Group documented the incident and described the casualty figure as preliminary. It warned the number of victims could rise.
The Emergency Lawyers Group also reported that these attacks brought to five the total number of civilian vehicles targeted in the Hamrat El Sheikh area since 28 May 2026. The group identified the strikes as part of a recurring pattern of direct attacks on civilian objects.
El Obeid: Fuel Station Struck, One Killed
On Saturday 7 June, a drone reportedly belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck the Charter fuel station in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State. The strike triggered a large explosion that sent flames and thick smoke across the city. Residents reported widespread panic as the blast reverberated through surrounding areas.
At least one person was killed and several others were wounded. The El Gezira Observatory for Human Rights, which documented the incident, reported that the drone had remained over the city for varying periods before carrying out the strike. The observatory noted that El Obeid has come under repeated drone attacks in recent weeks and described the targeting of civilian service infrastructure as a dangerous escalation.
Sudri Locality: Three Killed Travelling to Seek Medical Treatment
On Sunday evening 7 June at approximately 7:30 p.m., a drone struck two civilian vehicles in the Adeid Raha area of Sudri locality, killing three civilians and injuring one other. According to the Emergency Lawyers Group, the vehicles were carrying civilians from the Umm Badr area travelling to Northern State to seek medical treatment.
The group confirmed through preliminary investigation that both vehicles were civilian in nature and were not used for military purposes. It described the strike as indicative of a pattern of attacks on non-military targets and warned that the targeting of civilians while travelling, combined with the deterioration of health services and damage to medical facilities, is placing the sick and wounded in an impossible position, forcing them to travel long distances under growing security risk.
A Pattern of Escalating Attacks on Civilians
The Emergency Lawyers Group recorded the deaths of at least 33 civilians in North Kordofan as a result of drone strikes over the seven days preceding 8 June 2026. The group has described the repeated targeting of markets, villages, civilian vehicles, and civilian infrastructure as a blatant disregard for the lives of the civilian population and the basic rules of international humanitarian law, and has called for an immediate halt to the attacks and accountability for those responsible.
The El Gezira Observatory for Human Rights similarly condemned the pattern of attacks on populated areas and civilian facilities, renewing its calls for an urgent humanitarian truce, an unconditional ceasefire, and a political process aimed at achieving lasting peace in Sudan.
DNHR Position
DNHR condemns the attacks documented above in the strongest terms. The deliberate or indiscriminate targeting of civilians, civilian vehicles, markets, and civilian infrastructure constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, including the fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution. The repeated nature of these attacks, and the absence of any accountability for those responsible, reflects the entrenched impunity that continues to define the conduct of armed actors across Sudan.
DNHR calls for an immediate cessation of drone attacks on civilian areas across North Kordofan and all conflict-affected regions of Sudan, an independent and transparent investigation into each of the incidents documented above, full accountability for those responsible, and urgent measures to ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law.