Al-Obeid/Mellit, July 06 (Darfur24)
At least three members of the same family, including a child, were killed in artillery shelling in South Kordofan, while civilians were also killed and injured in a drone strike on a commercial convoy in North Darfur, as attacks on civilian areas and infrastructure continue across Sudan.
Eyewitnesses in Dilling, South Kordofan State, told Darfur24 that Hanan Mustafa Harameen, her daughter Thuwaiba Mohammed Siddiq, 32, and four-year-old Mohammed Abu Al-Qais were killed when artillery shells struck the Aqouz, Al-Ma’aser and Al-Nasr neighborhoods on Saturday evening.
Several other civilians were wounded in the attack and taken to Dilling Hospital for treatment. Witnesses said the shelling originated from the eastern side of the city and accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), of carrying out the bombardment. Darfur24 could not independently verify responsibility, and neither group immediately commented.
In a separate incident in North Darfur, four eyewitnesses and local sources said a drone struck a commercial convoy traveling from Libya to the towns of Mellit, Al-Kuma and Kutum on Friday, killing and injuring civilians and destroying more than 14 trucks.
Hamed Haroun, a relative of one of the victims, told Darfur24 that truck driver Omar Adam Ibrahim was killed in the strike, while three of his employees were injured.
A survivor said the convoy had stopped to rest and refuel in a desert area near Badia al-Zarq, north of El Fasher, when it came under attack from a drone believed to belong to the Sudanese army.
The trucks were carrying commercial goods, including sugar, flour, rice, pasta, liquid soap, bottled water and soft drinks. The survivor said the strike caused losses worth billions of Sudanese pounds and destroyed or damaged more than 14 vehicles.
Darfur24 could not independently verify responsibility for the drone strike, and the Sudanese army did not immediately comment on the allegations.
The two incidents underscore the growing impact of the conflict on civilians. Since the war began in April 2023, drone strikes and artillery shelling have increasingly targeted not only military positions but also residential neighborhoods, commercial convoys, aid shipments and civilian vehicles across Sudan, contributing to mounting casualties and worsening humanitarian conditions.