Drone Strike Kills 30 at Sudan Wedding Ceremony

A drone strike targeted a wedding ceremony in the town of Kutum in Sudan's North Darfur state on Wednesday, killing at least 30 civilians including women and children, according to United Nations officials. The attack, which struck a house hosting the event, has drawn sharp condemnation from the UN as part of an escalating pattern of violence in the country's ongoing civil war.

UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric described the incident during a briefing on Thursday, stating that the strike hit civilians gathered for the celebration. Local residents and medical sources reported pulling victims from the rubble, with some accounts placing the death toll at 32 and noting 16 injuries, primarily among women and children. A prodemocracy group, the El Fasher Resistance Committee, attributed the attack to the Sudanese Armed Forces, while the Rapid Support Forces condemned it without claiming responsibility. The army has not commented on the matter.

The incident underscores the intensifying use of drones by both sides in the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which erupted in April 2023. UN estimates indicate more than...