On a Monday evening in late October, a drone struck a crowded market in Nyala, the South Darfur city that has become the de facto seat of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, in a war now entering its fourth year. Those who were there describe a place where fighters and the ordinary women who sold them tea and food stood side by side, so that the line between soldier and civilian dissolved in a single moment. The number of dead has become a contested inheritance: a rights group counts more than a hundred, the army's allies claim far more fighters killed, and other observers report far fewer, while th
Drone strikes on Nyala market kill over 100 in Sudan's Darfur, rights group says; tolls remain unverified
More than 100 people were killed and 113 wounded, mostly women and children, with many still missing and some bodies not yet recovered.
Figures ranging from 21 to more than 150 dead, and none of them verified
Mark
What do we actually know happened in Nyala on Monday?
Mimi
That a drone struck around 8pm at a busy market, and that people died, including civilians. Witnesses, MSF's hospital count and the rights groups all agree on that much.
Mark
And the number of dead?
Luke
That's where it gets loose. Emergency Lawyers says more than 100 dead and 113 wounded. Sudan Doctors Network preliminarily says 21 dead. The army-aligned force claims more than 150 militia recruits. None of it is verified.
Mimi
MSF's figures are the most concrete: 36 bodies at one hospital, 21 in civilian clothes, and over 150 wounded in the emergency room.
Mark
Why would the figures differ so much?
Luke
Partly access. Sudan Doctors Network said it couldn't reach documentation sources inside Nyala amid active operations. That's an explanation, not a resolution.
Mimi
And the groups may be counting different things. One witness estimated about 14 civilian deaths, which sits far below the rights group's claim of mostly women and children.
Mark
Was it a market or a military camp?
Luke
Witnesses say market, with fighters present. The SOF spokesperson says a camp at Dumaya, west of Nyala. Those are different places, and we can't settle it from here.
Mimi
MSF also says a second strike hit a civilian neighbourhood, and an aid worker says people are still missing and bodies remain in homes.
Mark
So what should a reader hold onto?
Luke
That civilians died, that the total is unknown, and that the two sides' claims serve their own accounts.
Der Puls
- A drone strike on a packed Nyala market at 8pm Monday has left more than 100 dead and 113 wounded, most of them women and children.
- Casualty figures are splintering: a rights group reports over 100 dead, the army-aligned SOF claims 150 militia recruits died at a nearby camp, and Sudan Doctors Network counts 21.
- Witnesses say vendors selling to RSF fighters were caught in the blast, while an MSF-supported hospital received 36 bodies and saw more than 150 wounded.
- A second strike reportedly hit a civilian neighbourhood, and aid workers say bodies remain unrecovered and many people are still missing.
- With communications cut and access constrained, independent verification is stalled, and the open question is whether the drone campaign over Nyala will continue.
On a Monday evening in late October, a drone struck a crowded market in Nyala, the South Darfur city that has become the de facto seat of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, in a war now entering its fourth year. Those who were there describe a place where fighters and the ordinary women who sold them tea and food stood side by side, so that the line between soldier and civilian dissolved in a single moment. The number of dead has become a contested inheritance: a rights group counts more than a hundred, the army's allies claim far more fighters killed, and other observers report far fewer, while the bodies and the missing remain in the rubble. Whatever the final tally, the dispute over it is itself a sign of how difficult it has become for the world to see what is happening in Darfur.
Around 8pm on Monday, a drone struck a busy market in Nyala, the South Darfur city that serves as the de facto capital of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Witnesses say hundreds of RSF fighters had gathered there that evening, and the people selling to them were standing among them.
Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence in Sudan, puts the toll at more than 100 dead and 113 wounded, most of them women and children. That figure is unconfirmed, because information from the city is limited and nothing has been independently verified.
The accounts from inside the market differ sharply. A cigarette vendor says the drone killed dozens of fighters and the women who sold food. Another witness estimates about 14 civilians died, most of them women selling tea and food. The army-aligned Special Operations Forces say more than 150 militia recruits died, but place the strike at a camp west of Nyala rather than a market.
Other voices point lower still. Sudan Doctors Network reports 21 dead and over 40 wounded, blaming shelling, though it acknowledges its statement was delayed by the difficulty of reaching sources in Nyala. MSF reports that a second strike hit a civilian neighbourhood, and that a hospital it supports received 36 bodies and more than 150 wounded. MSF says markets and homes are not targets and that all parties must protect civilians.
Aid worker Mubarak Bekheit says many people are still missing and some bodies remain in homes in the affected area. The war, now in its fourth year, has deepened poverty, hunger and displacement, and drone attacks are escalating across the country. For now the open questions are whether independent verification can reconcile figures ranging from 21 to more than 150, and whether the strikes on Nyala will continue.
Around 8pm on Monday, a drone struck a busy market in Nyala, the South Darfur city that serves as the de facto capital of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. By the accounts of witnesses, hundreds of RSF fighters had gathered there that evening, and the people selling to them were standing among them.
Emergency Lawyers, a rights group that tracks violence in Sudan, put the toll from Monday's attacks at more than 100 dead and 113 wounded, most of the dead women and children. That figure is unconfirmed. Information coming out of the city is limited, and the numbers could not be independently verified.
Two witnesses spoke to the Associated Press on Wednesday, both anonymously for fear of retaliation. One, a cigarette vendor, said he moved his stall between clusters of fighters through the market. He said the drone killed dozens of fighters and the women who sold food. The second described a massive explosion that killed many fighters, and estimated that about 14 civilians died, including women and children, most of them women selling tea and food. His estimate is far lower than the rights group's count.
The army side tells a different story. Mohamed Didan, spokesperson for the Special Operations Forces fighting alongside the army, wrote on Facebook that more than 150 "militia recruits" were killed at the Dumaya camp, west of Nyala, in what he called a precise and targeted air strike. His account places the strike at a camp, while witnesses describe a market.
Other monitors give lower figures. Sudan Doctors Network issued a preliminary statement on Wednesday reporting 21 dead and more than 40 wounded, and said shelling caused most of the deaths. It acknowledged the statement was delayed because of difficulty reaching field documentation sources in Nyala amid active military operations and security constraints.
Doctors Without Borders, known as MSF, reported that a second strike hit a civilian neighbourhood after the market attack. A hospital it supports in Nyala received 36 bodies in the hours after the strike, 21 of them in civilian clothing, and its teams saw more than 150 wounded in the emergency room. MSF called the strikes "appalling" and said markets, homes and key civilian infrastructure are not targets, and that all parties must protect civilians.
Mubarak Bekheit, an aid worker in Darfur, said on Wednesday that many people remained missing and that some bodies had not yet been recovered from homes in the affected neighbourhood. He said civilians pay the highest price in war, losing lives, loved ones and homes while living in constant fear of more bombardment.
The war between the RSF and the army is now in its fourth year. It has produced severe poverty, food shortages and the world's worst displacement crisis. Recent reporting points to escalating drone attacks across the country. What to watch now is whether any independent verification emerges to reconcile figures ranging from 21 to more than 150, and whether the drone strikes on Nyala continue.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Markets, homes, and key civilian infrastructure are not targets. All parties to the conflict must protect civilians.— Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
More than 150 militia recruits were killed at the Dumaya camp in a precise and targeted air strike.— Mohamed Didan, Special Operations Forces spokesperson (paraphrased)
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