A drone attack killed over 60 people and injured more than a hundred in Sudan, as bitter fighting continues to rage in the long-running civil war. Civilians and soldiers were among the casualties after a 40-vehicle convoy was struck south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state.

The head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) civilian administration – Yusuf Idris – was among the injured. Sudan has been torn apart by a vicious civil war, which is estimated to have claimed the lives of over 150,000 people. Fighting erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between Sudan’s army and the RSF paramilitary.

The civil war has led to famine and claims of genocide in the western Dafur region, as both sides battled it out.

The Sudan army – led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – currently controls most of the north and the east.

The RSF – under the command of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – scored a major victory in June, taking control of territory along Sudan’s border with Libya and Egypt.

This was followed by the capture of el-Fasher in late October, meaning it controls almost all of Darfur and much of neighbouring Kordofan.

Eye-witnesses told Jubraka News that the convoy was targeted as it arrived in the locality of Kutaila. Bombs exploded in a residential area as well as at the local market place, as the convoy passed through.

The RSF imposed a security cordon in the area following the attack, closing all roads leading towards it.

They also cut off “Starlink” networks and prohibited gatherings “for fear of them being subjected to a new attack.”

It comes as a new investigation claims that Sudan’s air force has killed at least 1,700 civilians in bombing raids on residential neighbourhoods, markets, schools and camps for displaced people.

The report was published by the Sudan Witness Project, which says it has compiled the largest known dataset of military airstrikes in the conflict.

Its analysis indicates that the planes belonging the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) used unguided bombs in populated areas.