Ghabish, May 20 (Darfur24)
At least 11 people were killed and 17 others injured in a drone strike targeting the town of Ghabish in West Kordofan State, according to local sources.
The attack was part of a broader series of drone strikes carried out on Tuesday that also hit the towns of Al-Fula, Babanusa, and Abu Zabad in West Kordofan.
A source in Ghabish told Darfur24 that a drone struck a combat vehicle parked outside a restaurant in the town’s main market, killing and injuring civilians nearby.
He said residents had buried 11 victims by Tuesday afternoon, while hospitals remained overwhelmed with wounded civilians amid worsening medical conditions.
The source added that most of those killed were civilians, noting that the targeted vehicle reportedly carried about four people who had entered the restaurant for breakfast before the strike occurred.
The incident marks the second aerial bombardment targeting Ghabish, a town under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), since the outbreak of the war. A previous strike in August 2024 reportedly killed a child.
The Emergency Lawyers human rights group condemned the attack, accusing the Sudanese army of killing 28 civilians and injuring dozens more.
In a statement, the group said the strike occurred on the morning of May 19 while the market was crowded with shoppers and traders. It described the market as one of the key commercial centers relied upon by residents of West Kordofan and neighboring areas for food and essential goods.
The group argued that targeting civilian markets reflected what it described as a “policy of collective pressure, intimidation and starvation,” warning that the attack would further worsen food insecurity and increase the prices of basic commodities.
It held the Sudanese army fully responsible for the strike, saying repeated attacks on civilian markets could constitute grounds for legal accountability.
Meanwhile, the civil administration in West Kordofan accused the Sudanese army of launching coordinated drone strikes on Ghabish, Al-Fula, Babanusa, and Abu Zabad, resulting in civilian casualties and material damage.
In a statement, the administration said a civilian vehicle in Al-Fula was struck, killing one person and injuring others. At the same time, another attack targeted a passenger vehicle in Babanusa, killing a woman and injuring several passengers.
The statement added that residential neighborhoods in Abu Zabad were also hit, causing casualties and property damage.
Regarding Ghabish, the administration said the strike targeted the central market and caused “dozens of dead and wounded,” most of them women, children, elderly people, and street vendors.
The administration condemned what it described as the “deliberate targeting of civilians, markets and civilian infrastructure,” calling the attacks “a full-fledged war crime.”
Human rights groups, along with regional and international organizations, have called for the documentation of the alleged violations and for urgent action in response to what they described as a “dangerous escalation” targeting civilians in West Kordofan.