Sudan drone strikes kill more than 160 in days, including 80 at a West Kordofan transport hub
A strike near a market in al-Dabba was among the deadliest single attacks of the war. Children were killed in Khartoum and displaced people were hit in Blue Nile, as the UN says it is alarmed by the rising toll.
At a glance
- Drone attacks across Sudan have killed more than 160 people since Friday, October 16, according to medics and rights groups.
- A strike on a transport hub near a market in al-Dabba, West Kordofan, on Sunday evening killed 80 people; 30 of 47 wounded later died, a medical source said.
- Other strikes killed 41 displaced people in Blue Nile, 17 people in Nyala and three children in Khartoum; the army and the RSF blame each other.
- About 13 million people are displaced and 33.7 million need urgent food aid; the US is pushing for a humanitarian truce and a wider arms embargo.
Sudan's war has entered a deadly new phase of drone attacks. More than 160 people have been killed in strikes across the country since Friday, October 16, according to medics and rights groups — including 80 people at a transport hub in West Kordofan, one of the deadliest single attacks since the war began.
The attacks
| Date | Place | What happened | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 16 | Blue Nile, near the Ethiopian border | RSF drone hit a gathering of displaced people | 41 |
| Sun, Oct 18 (evening) | Al-Dabba, West Kordofan | Drone struck a transport hub near a market | 80 (30 more of 47 wounded later died, a medical source said) |
| Sun, Oct 18 | Gadarif state | Drones targeted the Atbara and Setit dams; air defences intercepted several | No casualties reported |
| Mon, Oct 19 (early) | Nyala, South Darfur | Drone hit the RSF stronghold | 17, including 7 RSF officers |
| Mon, Oct 19 | Khartoum | Drone attacks on the capital | 3 children |
Who is blamed
West Kordofan is under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF's self-declared administration, known as Tasis, and the rights group Emergency Lawyers accused the Sudanese army of the al-Dabba strike, where villagers had gathered to find rides home. Other attacks, including the strike on displaced people in Blue Nile, were blamed on the RSF. Both sides increasingly rely on drones to hit targets far behind front lines.
Reactions
- UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the UN was "alarmed by the continued deadly drone strikes across the country" that are killing civilians, including children.
- Emergency Lawyers called the Blue Nile attack a humanitarian tragedy.
- The United States urged the UN Security Council to push for a humanitarian truce and to widen the arms embargo; China and Russia opposed expanding it.
Background: a war since 2023
The war began in April 2023, when army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) fell out over plans to merge the paramilitary into the army. The RSF later captured El Fasher in Darfur, where thousands were reported killed in a few days. In June, a Sudanese court sentenced Hemedti to death in absentia for war crimes.
The human cost
| Recorded deaths (ACLED) | At least 59,000; some estimates up to 400,000 |
| Displaced | About 13 million |
| Needing urgent food aid | 33.7 million, including 17.3 million children |
| Children with severe acute malnutrition | About 825,000 |
| Sudanese refugees in Chad | More than 900,000 |
Why it matters
Sudan is the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis. Drone strikes on markets, transport hubs and displaced people make it even harder for aid to reach civilians, and attacks on dams and power infrastructure threaten water and electricity for millions.
What happens next
Diplomatic pressure for a truce continues at the UN, but without agreement on a wider arms embargo, the flow of drones and weapons to both sides is likely to continue. Aid agencies are calling for safe access to the worst-hit areas of Kordofan and Darfur.
Questions people are asking
What happened in West Kordofan, Sudan?
On Sunday, October 18, 2026, a drone struck a transport hub near a market in al-Dabba, where villagers were gathering for rides home, killing 80 people. The area is controlled by the RSF, which blamed the Sudanese army.
Who is fighting in Sudan?
The Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The war began in April 2023.
How many people have been killed in Sudan's war?
At least 59,000 deaths have been recorded by the ACLED conflict monitor, but aid groups say the true toll is much higher, with some estimates as high as 400,000.
