Arabic version: تقرير: غارة بطائرة مسيّرة تقتل 35 شخصاً في محكمة بدارفور

According to France 24, the Sudanese army struck a traditional court with drones in the Rapid Support Forces-held village of Garra al Zawaya in North Darfur on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding others. The Emergency Lawyers rights group said civilians had gathered for hearings on local cases and disputes when the afternoon attack took place.

The group said the strike occurred at about 1:00pm local time, or 11:00 GMT. A witness, who spoke to AFP anonymously for safety reasons, said the court session was being held under a tree with local community leaders taking part. The witness said four tribal leaders and two RSF commanders were among those killed. There was no immediate response from the army.

The RSF’s self-declared government condemned what it called a “horrific crime” and gave a higher toll, saying 37 people were killed and 50 wounded. Garra al Zawaya is near Kabkabiya, about 150 kilometres west of El-Fasher, which the RSF captured in a bloody offensive last October after it had been the army’s last stronghold in Darfur.

Since the El-Fasher campaign, the army and RSF have increasingly used drones in the conflict that began in April 2023. The United Nations says more than 1,000 civilians were killed in drone strikes during the first five months of this year. UN investigators have said violence connected to the RSF siege and capture of El-Fasher bears “the hallmarks of genocide.”

The war between RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. The United Nations describes the resulting emergency as the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises. Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians.