Al-Farshaya/Sarf Umra, April 24 (Darfur24)
Civilians were killed and injured in a series of drone strikes and armed attacks across South Kordofan and North Darfur, as violence continues to escalate in conflict-affected areas of western Sudan.
In South Kordofan, two women were killed on Thursday in a drone strike believed to have been carried out by the Sudanese army targeting Al-Farshaya market. Eyewitness Mohamed Ali told Darfur24 that the strike hit combat vehicles in the middle of the market at around 4 p.m., injuring two women who worked at a coffee and tea stall. Both later died from their wounds.
In a separate incident, local sources in Al-Dhalima village, north of Al-Dilling, said unidentified gunmen shot and killed a man on Wednesday as he was returning from the local market to the village of Istalak, in an attack believed to be motivated by looting.
Residents of Al-Farshaya, Al-Dhalima, and surrounding villages report worsening security conditions, with ongoing aerial bombardments and a rise in armed robberies. Large parts of South Kordofan have become active battlegrounds between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In North Darfur, three local sources told Darfur24 that a military drone, believed to belong to the Sudanese army, carried out strikes on multiple sites in Sarf Umra and Kabkabiya localities, including a gold mining site near Damra Melmat.
A community elder in Sarf Umra said the strike targeted a mining site partly controlled by the RSF, destroying a loader and several vehicles. The attack reportedly caused civilian casualties and triggered mass displacement from the nearby Al-Damra area, where residents are now facing dire humanitarian conditions.
The mine has long been a shared space, with RSF forces controlling sections while traditional miners operate in others. A local market serving miners and nearby communities was also affected.
Darfur24 was unable to obtain independent confirmation or precise casualty figures from the RSF or medical sources.
In a statement on Thursday, the Sudanese army said it had targeted RSF sites in Central and North Darfur, destroying combat vehicles and inflicting losses, though it did not explicitly mention the mining site.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by intense fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF, with drones increasingly used in strikes affecting both military positions and civilian areas.