KHARTOUM, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 28 people were killed when drones struck a crowded market Sunday evening in Sudan's North Kordofan state, local volunteers and a medical official said Monday.

The Sudanese Emergency Lawyers, a local rights group, said drones hit Al-Safia market northeast of Soudari, killing 28 people and wounding dozens more. The toll could rise, the group said.

The attack took place while the market was packed with civilians, including women, children, and elderly people, the group said, calling it a "humanitarian tragedy." The group did not say who was responsible for the attack.

The group urged both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to stop drone attacks, avoid targeting civilian areas, and comply with international humanitarian law.

The strike comes as drone attacks intensify in the Kordofan and Darfur regions, where fighting between the Sudanese military and the RSF continues.

Humanitarian organizations have warned of worsening conditions and a growing pattern of strikes on populated areas.

On Feb. 9, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said nearly 90 civilians were killed and 142 wounded in drone strikes in the Kordofan region in the two weeks leading up to Feb. 6, citing documentation from his office. He said the strikes hit a World Food Program convoy, markets, health facilities, and residential neighborhoods in South and North Kordofan.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF erupted in April 2023 and has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions inside Sudan and across its borders. ■