I. Incident Summary
At approximately 10:30 a.m. Sudan time on 2 August 2026, Zawiya Ghara Community Court, located in the Zawiya Administrative Unit – Gaza Area, within Al-Sireaf Locality, North Darfur State, was subjected to an aerial attack by a drone reportedly operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces.
According to preliminary information collected by the Darfur Victims Advocacy Organization through direct interviews with three families of victims and a number of eyewitnesses, the drone targeted a gathering of civilians while sessions of the community court were in progress. Based on the testimonies collected, the attack resulted in a large number of civilian deaths and injuries, including members and leaders of the community court, as well as prominent community elders and traditional leaders from the Darfur region.
The information currently available to the Organization indicates that the attack resulted in the deaths of 46 civilians, most of whom have been identified. Two bodies, however, could not be identified due to the severity of the injuries sustained. A further seven civilians reportedly sustained injuries of varying degrees.
II. Civilian Context and Importance of the Court
The gravity of the incident is particularly significant given the nature and civilian function of the location targeted. Since the outbreak of the war in Sudan on 15 April 2023, Zawiya Ghara Community Court has played a central role in resolving civil and community disputes in the area, amid the disruption or absence of a number of formal state institutions as a result of the armed conflict.
According to information provided by eyewitnesses and families interviewed by the Organization, the court had become a destination for civilians from several areas and localities, including Saraf Omra, Kabkabiya, Al-Sireaf, Kutum, Qirgo, and other areas, for the consideration and resolution of community and social disputes through traditional mechanisms.
The information further indicates that the court included representatives of approximately twenty local community groups. Its sessions served as a civilian forum bringing together community leaders, elders, traditional authorities, and residents from different areas. Consequently, if the circumstances of the incident and the attribution of the attack to the alleged perpetrator are established, the targeting of the court would have serious implications for community-based justice mechanisms and the protection of civilians in the area.
III. Preliminary Circumstances of the Attack
Eyewitnesses interviewed by the Organization reported that the drone flew at a low altitude over the area for approximately twenty minutes before carrying out the strike. According to their accounts, it approached from the north, in the direction of the Sudan-Egypt border, before striking the vicinity of the community court while its sessions were underway.
According to the testimonies collected, the location at the time contained a number of civilians, court members, and representatives of local community groups. The witnesses interviewed stated that the gathering was not a military assembly.
Preliminary information indicates that the strike hit the civilian gathering inside or in the vicinity of the court premises, resulting in significant casualties. The Organization is continuing to independently verify details concerning the drone’s flight path, the type of munition used, the precise point of impact, the nature of the intended target, and the operational circumstances surrounding the attack.
IV. Victims
As part of its preliminary documentation, the Organization has been able to document the names of a number of individuals reportedly killed in the attack. The names contained in the testimonies and information currently available to the Organization include:
Al-Makki Hamid Al-Makki, 17, a secondary-school student and resident of Zawiya Ghara; Al-Tahir Al-Nour Al-Jaddi, 38, a member of Zawiya Ghara Community Court and resident of the area; Abdullah Jad Al-Rab, 65, an administrative member of the court and resident of Zawiya Ghara; Al-Zein Al-Nour, 65, a member of the court and resident of Zawiya Ghara; Al-Tahir Ibrahim Al-Nour, 17, a student and resident of Zawiya Ghara; Al-Sadiq Ali Othman, 25, a member of the court and resident of Zawiya Ghara; Professor Ahmed Bakhit Saber, 50, the court’s clerk; Adam Nadif, 65, a member of the court and resident of Zawiya Ghara; Al-Nour Saeed Jibril, 38, a member of the court and resident of Zawiya Ghara; Al-Doum Nadif Helou, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Abdelrahim Treibo Habib, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Ali Huwaiqa, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Ahmed Adam Khalil, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Issa Ahmed Issa, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Mohamed Ahmed Azeeb, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Hamed Issa, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Jalal Al-Nour Issa, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Salah Ahmed Jaber, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Qoni Ahmed Jamoun, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Abdullah Hussein, resident of Zawiya Ghara; Mohamed Ishaq Ibrahim, from Farjawa Village; Amani Adam Bush, from Farjawa Village; Abbas Adam Haroun, from Qirgo Village; Abdelqader Adam Haroun, from Qirgo Village; Sheikh Adam Haroun, from Qirgo Village; Hassan Abakar Yahya Mahmoud, from Qirgo Village; Mohamed Ali Adam, from Qirgo Village; Sheikh Adam Shawqar, from Qirgo Village; Abakar Adam Haroun, from Qirgo Village; Abdel Salam Adam Abdelkarim, from Kabkabiya; Adam Abdelkarim Adam, from Kabkabiya; Salah Abdullah Adam, from Kabkabiya; Musa Hamed Khalil, from Kabkabiya Locality; Al-Fadil Musa Hamed Khalil, from Kabkabiya Locality; Othman Mohamed Saboula, from Kabkabiya; Abdullah Abu Yasser, from Kabkabiya Locality; Ishaq Musa, from Kabkabiya Locality; and Al-Koura Othman Ali, from Kabkabiya.
Preliminary information indicates that two additional individuals were killed in the attack. However, their identities could not be established as of the preparation of this report.
V. Preliminary Assessment
The Darfur Victims Support Organization considers that the targeting of a civilian gathering during a session of a community body performing a civil dispute-resolution function, if the facts are established and the attack is attributed to the forces identified above, raises serious concerns regarding compliance with the principles of international humanitarian law, particularly the principles of distinction and proportionality and the obligation to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians during military operations.
The nature of the court as a civilian community institution performing a function related to community-based justice, rather than constituting a military objective by its nature, further underscores the need for an independent and transparent investigation to establish the nature of the target and the basis, if any, upon which those responsible for the strike considered it to be a lawful military objective.
In all circumstances, the loss of such a large number of civilians at a location known for its community and civilian functions warrants an independent investigation to determine responsibility and establish the circumstances preceding and surrounding the attack. This should include examination of the intelligence available prior to the strike, the type of weapon used, the drone’s distance, altitude, and flight path, and the measures taken to avoid or minimize civilian casualties.
VI. Recommendations of the Organization
The Darfur Victims Support Organization calls for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the attack, with a view to identifying those responsible for authorizing and carrying out the military operation and determining the basis upon which the target was selected.
The Organization further calls for the individual documentation of all victims; the completion of procedures to identify the two bodies whose identities remain unknown; the documentation of the condition of the wounded, witnesses, and victims’ families; and the preservation of physical evidence and testimonies relating to the attack to ensure their potential use in any future judicial or human rights proceedings.
The Organization emphasizes the need to protect civilians and personnel involved in community and civilian mechanisms performing community justice functions in conflict-affected areas, and to refrain from targeting civilian gatherings or facilities that do not constitute lawful military objectives.
The Organization also urges relevant international and regional mechanisms, including the United Nations, the African Union, and bodies mandated to monitor the human rights situation in Sudan, to document and independently verify the circumstances of this incident and to give the protection of civilians in Darfur priority in monitoring, investigation, and accountability efforts.
VII. Documentation Note
The Organization emphasizes that this report constitutes a preliminary assessment based on the information and testimonies collected as of the date of its preparation. The verification and documentation process remains ongoing.
For the purposes of methodological accuracy, the Organization notes that the preliminary testimonies refer to 46 civilian fatalities, whereas the list of names currently available contains 40 names, with the name Ahmed Adam Khalil appearing twice in the original data. Accordingly, the Organization does not consider the current list of names to be final.
The Organization continues to work to establish the identities of the six victims not currently included in the list, and to verify all personal information, places of residence, and professional or community affiliations of each victim before adopting the final list.
