At least 35 people have been killed after a drone strike hit a traditional court session in Sudan’s North Darfur region, according to a local rights organization.
The attack took place on Sunday afternoon in Ghara al-Zawiya village, which is controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the BBC. Dozens of others were reportedly injured in the strike.
The Emergency Lawyers Group, which monitors violence against civilians, said the drone attack targeted the court session as local community leaders gathered to settle disputes. The Sudanese army has not commented on the allegations.
The RSF controls most of Darfur, in western Sudan, as the two sides continue to fight a three-year-long civil war that has devastated the country, killed tens of thousands of people and forced millions from their homes.
A witness quoted by the AFP news agency said Sunday’s court session was being held under a tree with the participation of local community leaders. Four tribal leaders and two RSF commanders were among those killed in the attack, according to the witness.
The privately owned Darfur 24 website quoted a local resident as saying that two drones flew over the town before launching more than four missiles.
The Emergency Lawyers Group called for an investigation into the drone strike and condemned the targeting of the court, saying attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a “grave violation of international humanitarian law”.
The group also noted that drones are increasingly being used to target civilian areas and gatherings, which it said exacerbates the risks faced by the population.
The RSF has also been accused of war crimes, including drone attacks on civilians, during the past three years of fighting.
The paramilitary group’s siege and attack on El Fasher, one of Darfur’s main cities, last year bore the “hallmarks of genocide”, according to a UN fact-finding mission.
The RSF has denied the accusations.
Sudan has plunged into the world’s major humanitarian crisis after the two generals fell out for power struggle in the wake of the full of long serving leader Omer Al Bashir.
