KHARTOUM, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed Saturday in a drone strike targeting a civilian vehicle in east-central Sudan, according to a local rights group and eyewitnesses.

A drone belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck the vehicle on the Al-Jamouiya Triangle road in the city of Omdurman, Khartoum State, amid renewed drone attacks, killing all five civilians onboard, local rights group the Sudanese Emergency Lawyers said in a statement.

The group condemned the attack and urged an immediate halt to indiscriminate attacks targeting civilians.

Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that the drone flew at a low altitude before firing munitions that directly hit the vehicle and completely destroyed it.

Neither the Sudanese government nor the RSF has responded to the incident.

In recent months, Khartoum State has witnessed relative calm. Latest data from the International Organization for Migration showed that almost 4 million people have voluntarily returned across Sudan, with returns concentrated in Khartoum State and neighboring Gezira State.

But drone use in military operations has risen noticeably across large parts of Sudan, amid warnings of its growing impact on civilians.

The UN said in March that more than 500 civilians were killed in drone strikes in Sudan between January and mid-March.

The developments came amid an ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions inside Sudan and abroad, according to international estimates. ■