Um Badr, June 03 (Darfur24)
At least 18 civilians, including two children, were killed after a drone strike targeted civilian vehicles traveling to a local market in North Kordofan State, according to local sources and a rights group.
Local sources told Darfur24 that the victims were traveling from Um Badr to the Project Market on May 31 when their vehicle was struck by a drone, killing all those on board.
The rights group Emergency Lawyers said in a statement on Tuesday that two civilian vehicles carrying traders were targeted while traveling between Um Badr and the Armal area. The attack reportedly destroyed both vehicles and killed 18 civilians, most of them young men.
The group condemned the incident and described it as a serious violation of international humanitarian law, stressing that civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.
The attack is the latest in a series of drone strikes targeting civilian vehicles in the Kordofan region, which has become an increasingly active theater of military operations. Residents and rights advocates have reported a growing number of attacks on public roads and commercial routes in recent months.
In May, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said drone strikes had killed at least 880 civilians between January and April 2026, accounting for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths recorded during that period.
The continued use of drones in populated areas has raised concerns among humanitarian and human rights organizations, which have repeatedly called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.