Multiple Drone Attacks Kill Civilians in Sudan
Source reports published 18 Oct 2026, 10:00 am – 20 Oct 2026, 12:00 am AEST
Drone strikes resulted in civilian deaths and injuries in Sudan. Attacks occurred in West Kordofan state, near a market, and in Khartoum, targeting a residential area and a transport hub.
What happened
- A drone strike near a market in Al-Dibab, West Kordofan state, on Sunday evening killed 80 people, mostly commuters.
- Witness Ahmed Abakar Wadi reported that 50 bodies were buried, including his brother, and that 47 others were transported to Al-Mujlad.
- A medical source, requesting anonymity, stated that 30 of the injured died in Al-Mujlad.
- A separate drone strike near Khartoum’s airport on Monday killed three children aged two to six, and one man, at a house in the Nasser Extension neighbourhood.
- The attacks are part of a wider conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, with the RSF-declared administration accusing the army of carrying out the Al-Dibab strike.
- Drone strikes have become a leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan, accounting for over 880 deaths between January and April 2023.
- Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, warned that the conflict was deteriorating with no breakthrough on dialogue, and that warring parties believed they could gain more ground on the battlefield with continued external support.
Original reporting
- Al Jazeera: Residents recount drone strikes in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region
2026-10-18T00:00:00+00:00 - Guardian: Drone attack near market kills 80 in Sudan
2026-10-19T00:00:00+00:00 - France 24 English: Drone attacks kill scores in Sudan's West Kordofan state and capital Khartoum
2026-10-19T14:00:04+00:00