The Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR) strongly condemns the drone attacks carried out today by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Al Zurg area and Al-Gorair market, North Darfur, which have resulted in catastrophic loss of civilian life and further devastation of already fragile civilian infrastructure. Reports from the ground indicate that a single drone struck twice, first targeting the only functioning hospital in Al Zurg and then hitting the nearby Al-Gorair market, spreading terror and death across these civilian spaces.
The hospital in Al Zurg, the sole provider of medical services in the area, was reduced to rubble in the attack, leaving countless civilians without urgent care. Preliminary reports indicate that more than 100 people have been killed, including the only doctor who was treating patients at the hospital, as well as other medical personnel, with dozens more injured. Striking the hospital demonstrates a deliberate disregard for human life and the sanctity of both medical facilities and the personnel who serve within them, who are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law.
Following this, the same drone struck Al-Gorair market, a clearly civilian location, resulting in further casualties. Among those killed and injured are women and children, reflecting the indiscriminate nature of the attacks. While full casualty figures are still being verified, it is clear that these strikes constitute a serious assault on civilian life and livelihoods.
SAR emphasises that civilians, hospitals, medical personnel, and markets are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law. The deliberate targeting of a hospital and a civilian market violates Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution under Additional Protocol I. Such acts may amount to war crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, particularly the intentional targeting of civilians and protected civilian objects.
These attacks are not only illegal; they are a profound moral atrocity. The destruction of the only hospital in the area and the subsequent attack on a market condemns women, children, the sick, and the elderly to preventable suffering and death. The use of a single drone to strike both civilian sites underscores a calculated and systematic assault on innocent lives, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. To all those who lost their lives today, may their souls rest in peace, and may their families find strength in this time of unimaginable grief.
SAR calls on the Sudanese Armed Forces to immediately cease all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and urges the United Nations, African Union, and international community to urgently investigate these incidents, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure justice for the victims. Impunity fuels such crimes, and the people of Darfur deserve protection, dignity, and justice.
The Sudanese Alliance for Rights stands in solidarity with all victims, their families, and the communities affected by these unlawful attacks.
Sudanese Alliance for Rights,
3 January 2026
