Airstrikes, drone attacks claim dozens of lives in Sudan: UN

United Nations, May 12 Airstrikes and drone attacks in Sudan's Kordofan and Darfur states have killed dozens of civilians, including women and children, UN humanitarians have said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday (local time) said its local sources reported that on Friday, strikes in South Kordofan and North Kordofan states killed at least 26 civilians. Armed clashes and additional airstrikes were also reported around El Obeid and the town of Bara in North Kordofan.

OCHA said that on Saturday, according to local sources, more than 17 people were killed in a strike on a civilian truck travelling from Khumi village toward the Abu Zabad area in West Kordofan state, reports Xinhua news agency.

Deadly drone strikes were also reported in North Darfur and South Darfur states in recent days, said the office.

The UN Human Rights Office warned that drone attacks accounted for at least 880 deaths -- more than 80 per cent of all conflict-related civilian fatalities recorded between January and April this year in Sudan.

"This increasing reliance on drones allows hostilities to continue unabated in the approaching rainy season, which in the past has brought about a lull in ground operations," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. "An intensification of hostilities in the coming weeks, as the parties seek to gain or consolidate control of territory amid shifting conflict dynamics, risks hostilities expanding even further to central and eastern states, with lethal consequences for civilians across enormous areas."

The insecurity is also forcing more people to flee their homes, said OCHA.

The International Organization for Migration said that heightened insecurity in Blue Nile state displaced more than 4,600 people from villages in Al Kurmuk locality on Thursday alone.

Parties must respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, OCHA said, adding that aid must be allowed to reach people in need quickly, safely and without obstruction.

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