More than 100 people were killed and 113 injured in a reported drone strike on a busy market in Nyala, South Darfur, according to the rights group Emergency Lawyers. The attack took place on the evening of Monday, October 26, as Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continue a conflict that has entered its fourth year.
Emergency Lawyers said in a statement issued on Tuesday that many of those killed were women and children. The group called for an independent investigation into the strike. Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, is controlled by the RSF, which has been fighting Sudan’s military since April 2023.
Hospital reports point to a large casualty toll
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, separately reported that its hospital in Nyala received 36 bodies and treated approximately 150 injured people in its emergency department. The figures from Emergency Lawyers and MSF differ, and neither account independently establishes responsibility for the attack.
The reported strike highlights the expanding use of unmanned aircraft in Sudan’s war. Emergency Lawyers attributed the attack to the Sudanese military, while the available accounts describe the incident as part of a wider conflict in which both the armed forces and the RSF have increasingly used drones. Claims about responsibility and the circumstances of individual strikes remain subject to verification.
- Location: a market in Nyala, South Darfur
- Date of strike: October 26
- Reported toll: more than 100 dead and 113 injured, according to Emergency Lawyers
- Hospital account: MSF said it received 36 bodies and treated about 150 injured people
A broader pattern of attacks
Emergency Lawyers said the victims included substantial numbers of women and children and urged an investigation that could establish what happened and who was responsible. The reported attack follows other strikes across Sudan that have affected civilian locations, including hospitals, schools, markets and displacement camps.
The United Nations says the conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with approximately 34 million people requiring assistance. The continuing use of drones in populated areas adds another layer to the risks faced by civilians and humanitarian organizations operating in the country.
The competing casualty figures and the absence of an independent investigation in the accounts underscore the difficulty of documenting attacks in Sudan. Emergency Lawyers’ allegation and MSF’s hospital figures provide separate accounts of the consequences, but they do not by themselves resolve questions about the strike’s exact circumstances or attribution.
