More than 160 reported killed in Sudan drone strikes

A wave of drone strikes across Sudan has killed more than 160 people in western regions since Friday, according to medics and rights groups, and the United Nations condemned the attacks on Monday after strikes hit a market in Abyei and parts of Khartoum.

Why it matters: The rising use of armed drones by both sides in Sudan's civil war is killing civilians in growing numbers and disrupting essential services in a country where 20 million people face acute hunger.

Data as of UN News report of October 19, 2026 and Al Jazeera report of October 19, 2026, both read in full. Casualty figures are as reported by medics, residents and the Emergency Lawyers monitoring group via Al Jazeera and AFP; they are not independently verified, and responsibility for individual strikes is contested between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. Developing item.

More than 160 people have been reported killed in drone strikes in western Sudan since Friday, according to medics and rights groups cited by Al Jazeera, in an escalation the United Nations condemned on Monday. The deadliest single attack hit a transport hub near a market in Al-Dibab in West Kordofan on Sunday evening, where residents and medical workers said 80 people were killed as villagers gathered after market day; the Rapid Support Forces administration and Emergency Lawyers accused the army of carrying out that strike, an attribution the army has not publicly answered.

The United Nations said drone strikes on Monday injured at least 19 people in a busy market in Abyei and targeted several locations in Khartoum, including an area near the airport, where one civilian was reportedly killed and some flights were cancelled. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the UN was alarmed by strikes killing civilians, including children, and disrupting essential services, and condemned all of the attacks unequivocally.

More than 160 reported killed in Sudan drone strikes

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