Dozens of civilians—most of them women and children—were killed after the Sudanese army carried out a new wave of air raids on the city of Kutum in North Darfur State.
Local media report that army-affiliated drones targeted a social gathering in the Al-Salam neighbourhood of Kutum on Wednesday evening. The strike hit a house hosting wedding ceremonies and injured more than 100 people.
Reports indicate that the strike also destroyed dozens of homes and left many families without shelter. The Sudan Founding Alliance (“Ta’sis”) forces have controlled the city since the early months of the war, which began on April 15, 2023. Despite this, drone attacks have repeatedly targeted military positions and public service facilities, including the rural hospital and the city market.
Previous incidents underscore the growing strain on Sudan’s healthcare system, as detailed in this report on the Sudan hospital attack and WHO healthcare crisis.
Khalid Youssef Omar, deputy head of the Sudanese Congress Party, said army aircraft based in Port Sudan carried out what he described as a “criminal attack” that struck a wedding celebration in the Al-Salama district of Kutum, killing a number of civilians, particularly women and children.
He shared footage of the strike on X, writing: “The attached video documents this incident, and silence over is a shame beyond all measure.”
Omar added that the war—ignited by the Islamist movement and prolonged through continued investment—has crossed every red line in its criminality. He warned that it could fragment the country even further and threaten peace and security in Sudan and beyond, echoing broader concerns about the conflict’s trajectory as it enters a prolonged phase, as discussed in this analysis on Sudan’s fourth-year war and political transition calls.
For its part, the Sudan Alliance said the raid killed “56 people, including 17 children, and wounded 107 others” in what it described as a massacre carried out by the army.
In an official statement issued Thursday, the alliance condemned the attack, saying it reflects what it called a pattern of “racist and criminal” conduct.
It added: “The targeting of a civilian gathering of this nature represents a grave violation of the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, which exist to preserve human dignity even in times of conflict. Weddings, homes, and civilian neighbourhoods are protected spaces and must never be subjected to attack.”
It urged Sudanese citizens to expose these actions and support the Sudan Founding Alliance and its forces.
The alliance also called on “the international community and it’s institutions to designate the army as a terrorist organisation”, arguing that it no longer represents a national institution. The statement added: “We reserves the right to respond to this crime, and we affirm our continuation on the path struggle to rid the country of these criminal elements from all Sudanese territory.”
