A drone strike blamed on Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed 12 people and wounded 20 others outside a courthouse in the army-held town of Umm Rawaba in North Kordofan on Tuesday afternoon, army-aligned authorities and eyewitnesses told Radio Tamazuj.
The strike was the latest in an escalating wave of drone attacks by the RSF and Sudanese army, which have been at war since April 2023.
The drone struck an area outside the courthouse where residents had gathered to complete legal and administrative procedures, witnesses said.
“The drone attack today targeted a courthouse in Umm Rawaba and those killed are 12 and are all civilians, and many others have been wounded,” eyewitness Hamza Abdalla told Radio Tamazuj.
The strikes sparked panic, prompting people to flee while others rushed to help the injured, the eyewitness said. Most of the wounded were taken to Umm Rawaba Hospital for treatment, he added.
Mohamed Salah, a spokesman for Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers Committee, a group of lawyers and human rights defenders, confirmed the reported toll of 12 dead and 20 wounded, including six lawyers and an employee of the judicial authority.
“The attack targeted several areas, especially the courthouse, and those killed are 12 and wounded are 20 others,” Salah said.
Salah said the attack occurred while legal professionals and court employees were carrying out their civilian duties. He described it as part of what he called a broader pattern of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The lawyers’ spokesperson said attacks on civilian and legal facilities violate international humanitarian law and warned that such incidents could disrupt judicial institutions and limit civilians’ access to justice.
Salah said the attack followed previous strikes on civilian and legal facilities, including an attack on the Garra al-Zawiya court in North Kordofan in August.
The North Kordofan state government condemned the attack in a statement obtained by Radio Tamazuj, describing it as an attack on civilian institutions and judicial facilities.
An RSF military official declined to comment when reached by Radio Tamazuj, saying only that Umm Rawaba was hosting a graduation ceremony at the time for a group of army-affiliated fighters.
Umm Rawaba lies along a strategic route linking central and western Sudan and has remained under army control despite repeated attacks in the surrounding region.
Sudan’s war has killed more than 200,000 people, according to aid workers, displaced millions and created the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.
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