Drone Strike on Kutum Wedding Kills at Least 30 Including 17 Children; UN Secretary-General Condemns Attack

A drone strike on a large wedding gathering in the Al-Salama neighborhood of Kutum, North Darfur, on the evening of April 10 killed at least 30 people — including 17 children — and injured 107, in one of the single deadliest attacks in months. Some sources, including Xinhua citing RSF accounts, reported as many as 56 killed. Local human rights groups and Resistance Committees attributed the strike to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The RSF, which controls Kutum and the surrounding North Darfur area, condemned it as a 'terrorist massacre carried out by the SAF.' The SAF did not claim responsibility. UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric condemned the attack without attributing blame, stating that 'attacks using drones against civilians and civilian objects are unacceptable.' The strike followed a UN human rights office report documenting over 500 civilians killed in drone strikes across Sudan between January 1 and March 15, 2026 — predominantly in Kordofan — and MSF's disclosure of treating around 400 people for drone-related injuries since February 2026. The Kutum strike drew immediate international attention as delegates convened in Addis Ababa for the Third Berlin Conference preparatory meeting, deepening calls for an end to aerial targeting of civilian gatherings. Kutum is located approximately 100 km northwest of El Fasher, the North Darfur capital that fell to the RSF in October 2025.