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

UNITED NATIONS: 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.