Drone attack on busy market in Sudan kills at least 28

Published On 16 Feb 2026Drone-fired missiles have hit a market in central Sudan’s Kordofan region, killing at least 28 people and wounding dozens of others, a rights group says.Emergency Lawyers, a group tracking violence against civilians, said in a statement on Monday that drones bombed the al-Safiya market in the town of Sodari in Kordofan" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="645" data-entity-type="location">North Kordofan state.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Two children killed in drone strike on mosque in central Sudan: Doctorslist 2 of 4Sudan protecting Africa from foreign interference in war with RSF, says FMlist 3 of 4UN accuses paramilitary RSF of committing war crimes in Sudan’s el-Fasherlist 4 of 4As Sudanese city returns to life after two-year siege, drone threat lingersend of listThe bombing on Sunday occurred when the market was packed with people, “exacerbating the humanitarian tragedy”, it said, adding that the number of casualties is likely to rise.“The attack occurred when the market was bustling with civilians, including women, children and the elderly,” the group said.“The repeated use of drones to target populated areas shows a grave disregard for civilian lives and signals an escalation that threatens what remains of daily life in the province. Therefore, we demand an immediate halt to drone attacks by both sides of the conflict,” the statement said.The area is currently the fiercest front line in the three-year-old war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).Sodari, a remote town where desert trade routes cross, is 230km (132 miles) northwest of el-Obeid, the capital of Kordofan" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="645" data-entity-type="location">North Kordofan, which the RSF has been trying to encircle for months.The Kordofan region has seen a surge in deadly drone attacks as both sides fight over the country’s vital east-west axis, which links the western RSF-held Darfur region, through el-Obeid, to the army-controlled capital, Khartoum, and the rest of Sudan.