The Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR) strongly condemns the horrific drone strikes carried out on 29 November 2025 in the Kumo area of the Nuba Mountains region, South Kordofan State. The attack, carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and targeting an area controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM–N), resulted in the killing of 45 people, most of them school students, and left 8 others injured, including children and women. The deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, particularly schools, is an outrageous violation of international humanitarian law and represents yet another assault on the lives and dignity of the people of South Kordofan.
This is not the first drone attack on the region. Communities in the Nuba Mountains have endured repeated aerial assaults that have overwhelmingly struck civilian areas and objects, including educational facilities. These attacks reflect a clear and disturbing pattern of disregard for civilian protection and constitute serious violations that may amount to war crimes under international law. The use of armed drones in populated areas, especially near schools, reveals a reckless and unlawful strategy that places children and other vulnerable groups directly in harm’s way.
SAR calls for an immediate and independent international investigation into the drone strikes, including a full assessment of responsibility, accountability, and the chain of command involved. We urge the United Nations, the African Union, and all relevant international bodies to take swift action to ensure that those responsible for these unlawful attacks are identified and held to account. The people of South Kordofan have faced decades of violence, marginalisation and impunity. Their suffering must not be ignored, and their right to protection must be upheld.
We also call for urgent humanitarian access to the affected areas to assist the injured, support traumatised families and provide essential services to communities living under continuous threat. Schools and other civilian spaces must never be turned into battlefields.
As the conflict in Sudan continues to claim innocent lives, SAR reiterates its unwavering commitment to documenting violations, amplifying the voices of victims and survivors, and advocating for justice, accountability and lasting peace. The children and families of Kumo deserve truth, protection and the assurance that such crimes will never be repeated.
Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR)
30 November 2025
