At least 35 people have been killed in a devastating drone strike on a court in the western Darfur region of Sudan.

The human rights organization Emergency Lawyers has accused the national army of carrying out the attack while a local dispute settlement hearing was underway.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, the strike occurred on Sunday (August 2) at around 1:00 PM local time in the village of Gara Al-Zawaya, located in North Darfur province.

The village is currently under the control of Sudan's paramilitary forces, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Emergency Lawyers stated that local residents had gathered to participate in a hearing for local tribal cases and disputes.

Per local tradition, the proceedings were being conducted outdoors beneath a tree. The attack damaged the traditional court area and claimed the lives of four tribal leaders and two RSF commanders.

The conflict-battered village is situated near the town of Kabkabiya, about 150 kilometers west of El Fasher, which was formerly a major stronghold of the Sudanese army in Darfur.

The RSF seized control of the city following a bloody offensive in October of last year.

The ongoing war between RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which began in April 2023, has claimed thousands of lives.

Both sides have dramatically increased their use of drones in recent times. According to United Nations data, drone strikes killed more than 1,000 civilians in the first five months of this year alone.

The war and relentless drone attacks have displaced millions of people, plunging Sudan into one of the worst humanitarian crises in global history.