Army drone strikes busy Sudanese market, killing over 100
What's the story
A drone strike on a crowded market in Nyala, South Darfur, Sudan, on Monday evening has left over 100 people dead and 113 injured. The attack took place at Tanqong Market in the Dumaya neighborhood of Nyala, which is under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Emergency Lawyers, a group monitoring violence in Sudan, said the victims were women and children. They blamed the Sudanese military for the attack and called for an independent investigation.
Medical response
Hospitals put on alert after strike
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that 36 bodies were brought to their hospital in Nyala and 150 people were treated for injuries.
The RSF-aligned Tasis administration's health minister, Dr Alaa al-Din Nugud, told Radio Tamazuj that 102 civilians were killed and 113 injured.
Hospitals were put on alert after the strike.
Adam Musa Obama, executive director of the Darfur Victims Organization, said eyewitnesses reported drones linked to the army targeted civilians while they were shopping and having breakfast.
Conflict escalation
UN warns of increasing drone strikes in Sudan
The United Nations has called drone strikes one of the deadliest threats to civilians in Sudan's ongoing conflict.
Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF have increasingly used explosive-laden drones, targeting civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.
Sudan plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a power struggle broke out between its army and the powerful paramilitary group, the RSF.
The war has since killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
Humanitarian disaster
Situation in Sudan described as the world's largest humanitarian crisis
The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, according to conflict monitor ACLED, while 825,000 children are facing acute malnutrition.
The UN describes the situation in Sudan as the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with 34 million people needing assistance.
More than 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Commission, have urged the warring parties to remove all obstacles to humanitarian assistance.