The Sudanese Alliance for Rights strongly condemns the drone attack carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Friday, 13 February 2026, in Kilo Market, Saraf Umrah area, Zalingei City, Central Darfur State.
According to credible information and sources on the ground, the attack struck a busy civilian market area, killing more than 20 civilians and injuring many others. Among the victims were women and children. The deliberate or reckless targeting of a civilian-populated area represents yet another grave escalation in violence against civilians and underscores the devastating toll the conflict continues to exact on the people of Sudan.
The Sudanese Alliance for Rights extends its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this attack. We mourn the victims and pray that their souls rest in peace. We also express our solidarity with the injured and their families and wish them strength and a full recovery. This senseless loss of civilian life has caused profound suffering and trauma within an already vulnerable community.
Kilo Market is a civilian site essential for daily survival, particularly in a context of widespread displacement, food insecurity, and economic collapse. Attacks on such locations not only result in loss of life but also destroy livelihoods and deepen humanitarian suffering in a region already severely affected by violence and displacement.
The Sudanese Alliance for Rights stresses that this attack constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocol II, which prohibit attacks against civilians and civilian objects. The principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution require all parties to the conflict to distinguish at all times between civilians and combatants and to refrain from attacks that would cause excessive civilian harm. The use of drone strikes in densely populated civilian areas flagrantly disregards these obligations.
Furthermore, intentionally directing attacks against civilians or launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in civilian deaths may amount to war crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Those responsible for ordering, carrying out, or enabling such attacks must be held accountable.
The Sudanese Alliance for Rights calls for an immediate, independent, and impartial investigation into this attack by relevant international and regional accountability mechanisms, including the United Nations Human Rights Council and its investigative mechanisms, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Criminal Court. We urge these bodies to take all necessary steps within their respective mandates to ensure that those responsible — including those who ordered or authorised the attack — are identified and held to account. Impunity for violations against civilians continues to fuel cycles of violence and embolden further abuses.
We reiterate our call on all warring parties to immediately cease hostilities and to respect international humanitarian and human rights law. The continued use of heavy and explosive weapons in civilian areas is driving mass displacement, destroying communities, and inflicting irreparable harm on Sudan’s social fabric.
The protection of civilians is not optional. The ongoing war has already displaced millions and devastated countless lives. An immediate end to hostilities is essential to prevent further loss of life and to allow for humanitarian access, accountability, and a path toward justice and peace in Sudan.
Sudanese Allaince for Rights
14 February 2026
