At least 35 people were killed and several others were wounded in a drone strike on a tribal court in Sudan's North Darfur state, the Emergency Lawyers group said.
The attack on the village of Al Zawiya Ghara, in the Al Serief locality, took place on Sunday at about 1pm local time, the rights organisation said.
According to preliminary information cited by the group, those killed were in and around the court as civilians gathered to hear local cases and resolve community disputes.
The Emergency Lawyers group alleged the strike was carried out by drones belonging to the Sudanese Armed Forces, although the military has not commented on the claim.
The attack also caused significant damage to the court building, which the group described as a civilian facility serving judicial and social functions for the area.
The organisation said the strike came amid ongoing military operations in North Darfur and the increased use of drones in the conflict, warning that attacks on civilian gatherings were worsening the humanitarian situation and increasing risks to civilians.
It condemned the attack and called for an independent and transparent investigation to establish the circumstances of the strike and to hold those responsible to account.
The village is under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It lies near the town of Kabkabiya, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of El Fasher, the army's last major stronghold in Darfur before its capture by the RSF during a major offensive in October last year.
The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF erupted in April 2023 after a power struggle between army chief and de facto ruler Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo escalated into open conflict. Fighting began in the capital, Khartoum, before spreading across much of the country.
Estimates of the death toll vary widely, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. The conflict has also displaced about 14 million people and triggered what the UN describes as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
In addition to large parts of Darfur, the RSF controls areas of the Kordofan and Blue Nile regions, while the army holds the capital and most of northern, central and eastern Sudan. Both sides have established rival administrations, with the army-aligned government based in Port Sudan on the Red Sea and the RSF administration operating from Nyala in Darfur.
