The Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SARS) strongly condemns the drone attack carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 11 June 2026 in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, which resulted in the death of more than eight civilians and left several others injured, including women and children.
According to our sources on the ground, the attack struck a civilian area in El Obeid, causing civilian casualties and spreading fear among residents already enduring the devastating consequences of the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The attack is the latest in a series of incidents highlighting the grave risks faced by civilians trapped in the conflict and underscores the urgent need for stronger protection measures.
The Sudanese Alliance for Rights condemns this attack as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. The reported killing and injury of civilians, including women and children, is contrary to the fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution enshrined in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols. All parties to an armed conflict are obligated to distinguish at all times between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives, and to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians from the effects of hostilities. Attacks directed against civilians, as well as indiscriminate attacks that fail to distinguish between military and civilian targets, are prohibited under international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
SARS further notes that this attack violates the right to life, dignity, and security of person protected under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other applicable international human rights instruments. The killing and injury of women and children are particularly alarming and contravene the protections afforded under the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The continued targeting of civilian-populated areas demonstrates a disturbing disregard for civilian protection and reinforces the urgent need for accountability and justice for victims and survivors.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and express our solidarity with the injured and all those affected by this attack. We also recognize the immense burden placed on medical personnel and humanitarian actors responding to the needs of affected communities amid worsening humanitarian conditions.
The Sudanese Alliance for Rights calls on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to immediately cease attacks that place civilians at risk and to fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law. We further call on all parties to the conflict to refrain from attacks on civilian-populated areas and to take all feasible measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure from the effects of hostilities.
SARs calls for prompt, independent, impartial, and effective investigations into this attack and all incidents resulting in civilian casualties, with a view to ensuring accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Those responsible for ordering, facilitating, or carrying out unlawful attacks against civilians must be identified and held accountable through credible judicial processes.
The Sudanese Alliance for Rights calls on the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), and other relevant regional and international accountability mechanisms to investigate and publicly report on attacks against civilians in Sudan. We further urge the United Nations Security Council, the African Union Peace and Security Council, IGAD, and the broader international community to intensify efforts aimed at protecting civilians, ensuring humanitarian access, supporting accountability initiatives, and ending impunity for serious violations committed during the conflict.
As the conflict in Sudan continues, the protection of civilians must remain an urgent priority. The continued loss of civilian lives serves as a stark reminder of the devastating human cost of this war and the pressing need for accountability, respect for international law, and a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Sudanese Alliance for Rights,
11 June 2026
