New York, October 21 (Darfur24)
The United Nations has condemned a series of drone attacks that killed dozens of civilians across Sudan, including at Al-Naam market in the Abyei region and a market in West Kordofan state, urging the warring parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his daily press briefing that a drone attack on the ostrich market, also known as Amiet, in Abyei on Monday killed at least 28 civilians, injured many others and left some people missing.
Dujarric also condemned reports that dozens of civilians were killed in a separate drone strike targeting a market in West Kordofan on Sunday, describing the incidents as part of a “deeply worrying pattern”.
He expressed concern over continued drone attacks across Sudan and the damage they cause to vital infrastructure, warning that the strikes have devastating consequences for communities already struggling with more than three years of war.
In Khartoum, reports indicated that four people, including three children aged between two and six and their father, were killed when a drone struck a residential area on Monday.
In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, a drone reportedly struck a residential house on Monday, causing civilian casualties, including women and children, and damaging neighbouring homes.
In White Nile state, drones reportedly targeted the main power station in Tendelti on Tuesday.
Dujarric reiterated the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in accordance with international humanitarian law. He called on all parties to take measures to prevent harm to civilians and the facilities on which they depend.
Meanwhile, the United Nations continues to work with partners to strengthen peace efforts and coordinate initiatives to end the conflict in Sudan.
The UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, is hosting the sixth meeting of the Consultative Mechanism on Strengthening Coordination between Peace Efforts and Initiatives in Sudan in Geneva on Wednesday, in cooperation with the Swiss government.
The mechanism provides a platform for international actors to coordinate efforts to resolve the conflict. Previous meetings have been held in Cairo, Djibouti, Nouakchott and Brussels.
