Military drone strikes in southwestern Sudan’s Darfur killed more than 100 people earlier this week, according to a rights group tracking the violence. Witnesses said the attacks targeted a busy city market frequented by paramilitary fighters.
Emergency Lawyers stated that the raids on Monday left over 100 dead and 113 wounded, and that most of the victims were women and children. Witnesses reported on Wednesday that multiple civilian vendors who sold goods to paramilitary forces were among the dead in Nyala, which serves as the de facto capital of the Rapid Support Forces.
The ongoing war between the paramilitary group and the army is now in its fourth year. The conflict has created severe poverty, food shortages, and the world’s largest displacement crisis.
A cigarette vendor told reporters on Wednesday that hundreds of paramilitary fighters gathered at the market on the evening of the attack. He explained that he moved his stall between the groups to sell cigarettes when a drone struck at about 8pm, killing dozens of fighters and women selling food.
Another witness estimated that the massive explosion killed many fighters alongside roughly 14 civilians, mostly women selling tea and food. Both witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
Mubarak Bekheit, an aid worker in the region, said on Wednesday that numerous people were missing and some bodies had not yet been recovered from homes in the area after the strike hit a civilian neighbourhood.
“I personally know that war has no morality, but the reality we witness every day is that civilians are the ones paying the highest price,” Bekheit said. “They lose their lives, their loved ones, and their homes, while living under the constant fear of further bombardment.”
Mohamed Didan, the official spokesperson for the Special Operations Forces fighting with the army, wrote on Facebook that more than 150 militia recruits were killed at the Dumaya camp west of Nyala. He described the incident as a precise and targeted air strike.
Casualty numbers are unconfirmed and could not be independently verified due to limited information from the city. The Sudan Doctors Network released a preliminary statement on Wednesday reporting 21 deaths and over 40 injuries, attributing most casualties to shelling.
Doctors Without Borders reported that a second strike hit a civilian neighbourhood following the market attack. The medical organisation stated that a hospital it supports in Nyala received 36 bodies in the hours after the strike, including 21 people wearing civilian clothing, while teams treated more than 150 wounded patients in the emergency room.
“Markets, homes, and key civilian infrastructure are not targets,” the group said in a statement. “All parties to the conflict must protect civilians.”
United Nations reports indicate that drone strikes have become the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan. The conflict has pushed parts of the country into famine, and UN estimates released earlier this month showed that the share of children seeking treatment for severe acute malnutrition in RSF-controlled Nyala more than doubled between January and August, rising from 5 to 11 percent.
