A drone strike hit a market in the city of Nyala on Monday evening, killing 21 people and wounding at least 40 others. A medical source and local witnesses confirmed the casualties on Tuesday.
The strike targeted a market located in the northern sector of Nyala at approximately 8 p.m. Local time on Monday. A local resident stated that young men, particularly fighters belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, frequently visited the targeted market.
A medic at Nyala Hospital confirmed the death toll and the number of wounded individuals following the bombing. The medic added that it was not possible to determine the exact proportion of casualties who were paramilitary fighters.
Nyala is the de facto capital of the Rapid Support Forces in the western Darfur region. The paramilitary group has established a rival administration there in opposition to the internationally recognised government and military based in Khartoum.
Sudan’s military has been engaged in a war with the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. The armed forces regularly conduct aerial strikes against Nyala as part of the ongoing conflict.
The hostilities have increasingly relied on drone warfare, with both warring parties deploying sophisticated aerial attacks from various locations across the country. These strikes frequently result in dozens of civilian casualties per incident.
United Nations figures indicate that drone strikes killed more than 300 people and wounded hundreds of others during the first three weeks of October alone.
Aid workers estimate that the ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people since fighting broke out. The war has also provoked the largest hunger and displacement crises globally.
