The United Nations Secretary-General’s office has urged an immediate halt to attacks on civilians in Sudan following a deadly drone strike on a wedding ceremony.
Stéphane Dujarric, speaking on behalf of UN chief António Guterres, strongly condemned the incident during a press briefing on Thursday.
The assault, which occurred in Kutum in Sudan’s North Darfur region, hit a wedding gathering and left more than 30 civilians dead, including women and children, according to Dujarric.
He reiterated that all forms of violence against civilians are unacceptable, stressing that the use of drones to target civilian areas and infrastructure must be condemned.
The incident adds to a growing list of violent episodes in Sudan, where conflict between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces has persisted since April 2023.
Dujarric further reported that recent fighting near Dilling in South Kordofan has resulted in the deaths of 47 civilians and left dozens more injured since last Monday.
He noted that humanitarian operations are being severely affected and called for an immediate end to hostilities, alongside safe and unrestricted access for aid delivery across all regions of Sudan.
Since the outbreak of the war, tens of thousands of people have been killed while millions have been forced to flee their homes.
Worsening hunger and disease outbreaks have compounded the crisis, which the United Nations describes as the world’s most severe humanitarian emergency.