Rights group reports 41 deaths in Sudan drone strike

Emergency Lawyers says a drone strike killed 41 people at a gathering of displaced residents in Sudan's Blue Nile region on October 9.

The group says the strike hit Abu Shandi near the Ethiopian border and killed eight children as well as women. It attributes the attack to the Rapid Support Forces. An RSF spokesperson did not answer the Associated Press's request for comment.

An earlier Sudan Doctors Network statement, reported by Anadolu, put the death toll at 31. Published estimates therefore differ. In an October 10 statement, rights documentation platform Shahid called for an independent investigation to establish the drone's operator and chain of command.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs condemned the reported strike, which also wounded dozens. Sudan's UN humanitarian coordinator, Denise Brown, called for accountability. Fighting between the army and the RSF has continued since April 2023.