Sudanese Armed Forces’ Drone Attacks Kill At Least Thirty-Seven in North Darfur

On Sunday, 2 August 2026, news broke that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) launched a drone strike in the North Darfur region – allegedly targeted at the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – resulting in an indiscriminate and devastating loss of civilian life. As of 13 August, thirty-seven have been reported killed, including dozens of civilians, four tribal leaders, and two RSF commanders. Additionally, around fifty civilians were seriously wounded from the drone attacks, some of whom have reportedly later died from their injuries.

According to an AFP News Agency witness, this attack was launched on a traditional dispute resolution session “being held under a tree with the participation of local community leaders.” The Emergency Lawyers Group stated that the early August attack occurred on the Ghara al-Zawiya village – which is currently an RSF-controlled area – in the North Darfur state at around 13:00 local time. The report confirmed that two drones were flown over the Ghara al-Zawiya village, before launching four missiles at the ongoing dispute resolution session.

This drone attack on civilians constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law. Sudanese civilians are suffering at the hands of both warring parties’ indiscriminate attacks, and such atrocities are testament. The targeting of civilians is prohibited by international law, and the SAF must take measures to protect civilians, rather than killing them. The attack in Ghara is not a single incident; these attacks continue to be perpetrated by both sides of the war in Sudan – with a total disregard to civilian lives and livelihood, and are a stark demonstration of the local and international communities’ failure to protect civilians and hold perpetrators accountable. 

At Darfur Women Action Group, we refuse to remain silent about the attacks on civilians and other human rights violations in Darfur, other historically marginalized areas, and across Sudan. We call on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take measures to protect civilians, hold all perpetrators accountable, and seriously condemn the threat of war crimes, the escalating violations of international humanitarian law, and the human rights situation in Darfur and Sudan. 

We call on the Sudanese authorities, United States, United Nations, and the greater humanitarian community to take effective action to protect civilians and achieve justice, lasting peace, and security for the people of Sudan. We urge the UNSC and the United States to take the following steps to swiftly resolve the crises in Sudan:

• • Enforce an Immediate Ceasefire with Civilian Protection Guarantees, including an immediate halt to drone strikes by both sides in civilian zones across Darfur, Kordofan, Blue Nile, and across Sudan.
  • Deploy International Protection Forces under Chapter VII mandates to safeguard civilians, displacement camps, hospitals, and humanitarian aid workers across Sudan, especially for the sake of women and children who are most vulnerable to humanitarian abuses and sexual violence.
  • Open Safe Humanitarian Corridors by Land and Air with guaranteed and unobstructed access for food, medical aid, fuel, and emergency aid workers.
  • Support and fully resource the UN Fact-Finding Mission and the ICC to document atrocities, secure evidence of mass graves, and prosecute crimes of genocide, sexual violence, ethnic targeting, and mass starvation as weapons of war.
  • Fully fund Sudan’s 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan – currently at just 5.5 percent of the required $2.9 billion – as a matter of urgent legal and moral obligation to the children and civilians dying of imposed starvation.
  • Listen to and integrate the voices of survivors, women, and affected communities in all decision-making related to resolving this crisis and preventing future atrocities.

DWAG commends the courage of local communities and individuals who have responded to the need for non-violence and neutrality with urgency. We encourage their commitment to non-violence and civilian protection efforts. We call on our supporters to stand with us, speak out, and demand that atrocity prevention, accountability, and justice be prioritized in Sudan. We must speak up and compel the international community to use all the tools at their disposal to ensure that those responsible for bloodshed are held accountable; we cannot allow the citizens of Sudan to be slaughtered in silence whilst perpetrators remain unpunished.

We call on all DWAG supporters to speak out and use your platform to condemn the horrific acts of violence against civilians in Sudanese communities. Through collective voice and action, we can end the suffering, stop the genocide, and bring those responsible to justice.

Thank you for your continued support and voice!

With gratitude,

Niemat Ahmadi

Founder and President, Darfur Women Action Group

For inquiries, please contact: policy@darfurwomenaction.org

For more resources and to find ways in which you can help, go to: www.darfurwomenaction.org