Statement Condemning the Drone Attack on Civilians in Al‑Nuhud

PRESS STATEMENT
Ref. No.
SHD/PS/2026/001 Date
9 October 2026 Classification
For Immediate Release
Statement Condemning the Drone Attack on Civilians in Al‑Nuhud
Shahid Evidence – Platform for Digital Evidence and Human Rights Documentation condemns in the strongest terms the air strike on the town of Al-Nuhud, West Kordofan State, on Thursday, 8 October 2026. Preliminary information indicates that the strike hit a civilian-populated area and the Al-Nuhud Locality building, which was being used to shelter a number of internally displaced persons.
According to available preliminary accounts and reports, the attack killed twelve people and injured eight others to varying degrees, some of whom were taken to hospital for treatment. Local sources have attributed the attack to a drone reportedly of the Bayraktar type and reportedly operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces. This information requires an independent field and technical investigation before any definitive determination can be made as to the type of aircraft, the party that operated it, and the party that ordered the attack.
In condemning this attack in the strongest terms, Shahid Evidence affirms that targeting civilians, displaced persons, or civilian objects, or carrying out indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks in populated areas, constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime where it is established that the attack was intentionally directed against civilians, or was launched in the knowledge that it would cause excessive incidental civilian harm.
The possible presence of forces or military objectives within the town does not relieve any party of its strict legal obligations to distinguish between civilians and combatants, to verify the nature of the target, to respect the principle of proportionality, and to take all feasible precautions to spare the civilian population from the effects of military operations.
Shahid Evidence holds the party that planned, ordered, and carried out the attack fully legally responsible for its consequences, once an investigation establishes its involvement. Responsibility is not limited to those who executed the strike; it extends to every military commander or civilian official who ordered or authorised it, or who, having knowledge of it, failed to prevent it or to hold the perpetrators to account.
Shahid Evidence calls for:
1. An urgent, independent international investigation into the attack, establishing the location of the strike, the nature of the target, the type of munition and aircraft used, its point of launch, the identity of its operators, and the chain of command that ordered or authorised it.
2. Access for the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the area, to witnesses, and to all relevant records.
3. The preservation of all evidence, including munition remnants, flight and operational logs, satellite imagery, original video footage with its metadata, medical records, and death certificates.
4. The publication of a verified list of those killed and injured, and unimpeded access for the wounded, the displaced, and all affected persons to medical care and humanitarian assistance.
5. An immediate halt to all attacks that target civilians or expose them to unlawful risk, and accountability for every person found responsible, regardless of rank or affiliation.
Shahid Evidence urges witnesses and the families of victims to retain photographs, video footage, and documents in their original formats; to avoid publishing any information that could reveal the identities of witnesses or place them at risk; and to submit evidence to trusted human rights bodies through secure channels.
The blood of the victims of Al-Nuhud is not material for political propaganda, and their rights are not extinguished by the passage of time. The duty to protect civilians and to pursue those responsible for violations remains a legal and moral obligation that admits no compromise.
May the victims rest in peace, and may the injured make a swift recovery. We stand in full solidarity with their families and with all civilians in Al-Nuhud and West Kordofan.
Shahid Evidence – Platform for Digital Evidence and Human Rights Documentation
9 October 2026