Drone Attacks on Nyala Market Leave Over 100 Dead, Aids Group Says

Emergency Lawyers reported that drone strikes killed more than 100 people at a bustling market in Nyala, South Darfur, on Monday. The group stated that 113 others were wounded, with the majority of fatalities being women and children. The city serves as the de facto capital for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Witnesses described the scene on Wednesday, noting that the market functioned as a gathering point for RSF fighters. A cigarette vendor told the Associated Press that hundreds of fighters were present the evening of the attack. He moved his stall between groups of soldiers until a drone hit around 8 p.m., local time. A second witness estimated that about 14 civilians died, most of them women selling tea and food. Both men requested anonymity to avoid retaliation.

Mubarak Bekheit, an aid worker in Darfur, said bodies remained missing from homes in the affected neighborhood. He described residents losing their lives, families, and homes while living under constant fear of further bombardment. "Civilians are the ones paying the highest price," he said.

Military-aligned sources provided a different account of the event. Mohamed Didan, spokesperson for the Special Operations Forces fighting alongside the army, claimed more than 150 militia recruits were killed at the Dumaya camp west of Nyala. He described the event as a precise and targeted air strike. The army did not specify the number of civilians killed in its initial statement.

Casualty figures remain difficult to verify due to limited information coming from the city. The Sudan Doctors Network issued a preliminary statement on Wednesday reporting 21 dead and more than 40 wounded. The group attributed most deaths to shelling and noted that the statement was delayed by security constraints and difficulties reaching field sources.

Doctors Without Borders reported that a second strike hit a civilian neighborhood following the market attack. A supported hospital in Nyala received 36 bodies in the hours after the strike, 21 of whom were in civilian clothing. Hospital teams treated more than 150 wounded in the emergency room. The organization called the strikes appalling and urged all parties to protect civilians.

The United Nations has identified drone strikes as the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan. The conflict has pushed parts of the country into famine. In RSF-controlled Nyala, the share of children seeking treatment for severe acute malnutrition more than doubled between January and August, rising from 5 percent to 11 percent, according to UN estimates released earlier this month.