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corridorUkraine's idle ports cost $1.75bn as farm exports fallFormer Chinese premier Zhu Rongji diesAt least 20 killed in communal clashes in central NigeriaIran accuses Qatar of holding three of its pilotsXi calls for shift to prevention as floods batter ChinaVenezuela frees 131 more political prisonersMore Syrians in Germany lose refugee protectionAudit finds gaps in Taiwan's counter-drone defencesIndia drafts rules to open nuclear power to private firmsHichilema takes early lead as Zambian count resumesParis prosecutors open investigation into tax portal hackReport details leverage behind Situational Awareness lossesArgentina has lost 30,633 companies under MileiAt least five dead in Indiana floodingIran detains two French diplomats over alleged infiltrationCanadian petition to expel US ambassador passes 170,000 signaturesIndia raises $50bn from its diaspora and ends swap facility earlyOpaque start-ups build erotic AI industry from Cyprus and MaltaBritain's biggest EV battery plant shelves expansion as Jaguar Land Rover talks stallThird drone debris find in a day on Turkish coastsForecasters put 95 percent odds on a very strong El NiñoSecondhand booksellers suspect AI firms behind bulk ordersEtna alert lowered as Catania airport reopensFuneral held for Indigenous girl whose death sparked outback riots
Bota
Symbolic image: At least 35 killed in drone strike on court in North DarfurSymbolic image

At least 35 killed in drone strike on court in North Darfur

3 sources

Drones hit a traditional court in the RSF-held North Darfur village of Garra al-Zawaya on Sunday, killing at least 35 people. The rights group Emergency Lawyers says Sudan's armed forces carried out the strike; the military has not commented.

What happened

  • Emergency Lawyers says the strike came at about 1pm local time (11am GMT) on Sunday, 2 August.
  • Civilians had gathered to hear local cases and settle community disputes; the court building was badly damaged.
  • A witness told AFP the session was held under a tree; the dead include four tribal leaders and two RSF commanders.
  • The RSF's self-declared government put the toll at 37 killed and 50 wounded.
  • The village lies near Kabkabiya, about 150 kilometres west of el-Fasher, captured by the RSF in October 2025.

The view from outside

Daily Sabah places the strike in a wider drone war, citing UN figures of more than 1,000 civilians killed in drone attacks in the first five months of this year and UN investigators' finding that the el-Fasher assault bore "the hallmarks of genocide". The National instead stresses the two rival administrations, in Port Sudan and Nyala, and the roughly 14 million people displaced since April 2023.

What could happen next

  • Emergency Lawyers demands an independent, transparent investigation into who fired and who is responsible.
  • Neither the death toll nor the origin of the drones has been independently verified.
  • El-Obeid faces intense drone attacks after the RSF lost the Khartoum highway last week; the UN issued a "red alert".
How the camps see it

  • Sudanese army: Has made no statement on the strike or on the accusation that its drones hit the court.

  • RSF administration: Calls the attack "a horrific crime" and gives a higher toll than the rights group.

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