Khartoum (AFP) – A drone strike on a crowded market in southern Sudan killed 28 people and injured 23 more on Tuesday, a medical source and witnesses told AFP, in one of the deadliest recent attacks on civilians in the country's three-year war.

The strike hit the town of Ghubaysh in West Kordofan, an area controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) whose conflict with the Sudanese military has devastated much of the country since April 2023.

The wounded and the dead were taken to the town's hospital, the medical source said.

Witnesses described a scene of sudden destruction at the town's main market.

Two said a drone struck a crowded restaurant, attributing the attack to the military.

Another described what appeared to be a two-stage attack: an initial strike on an RSF vehicle that killed three people, followed moments later by a second blast that hit the restaurant.

Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese legal advocacy group, said the strike targeted a key market relied on by thousands of civilians for food and basic supplies.

A spokesman for the Sudanese military denied responsibility, saying the armed forces carry out strikes only against "military objectives", including vehicles and weapons depots.

An RSF-aligned alliance condemned the strike, accusing the military of a "systematic" campaign of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in violation of international law.

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