A drone strike on a livestock market in Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur state, killed 30 people and wounded 47 on Friday, a medical source said, as the Sudanese army acknowledged carrying out air strikes in the city.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controls Nyala, blamed the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for the attack. The army said it had targeted RSF command centres and positions in the city, claiming to have killed dozens of fighters and destroyed command facilities.
The medical source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 30 people had been killed. The source did not identify who was responsible for the strike.
The Sudan Founding Alliance, known as Tasis and aligned with the RSF, said the strike hit the Al-Mawashi market while it was crowded with civilians.
In a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj on Friday, its spokesperson, Ahmed Tugod Lissan, said at least 30 people had been killed and 43 wounded, adding that the casualty count was still being assessed.
The alliance accused the Sudanese army of carrying out the attack using a drone launched from an Egyptian military base east of Al-Uwaynat.
In a statement published on Friday, the Sudanese army said its air force had carried out targeted strikes against RSF command centres, positions and fighters in Nyala. It said the operations had killed dozens of fighters and destroyed command facilities, but did not address the reported civilian casualties.
Videos reviewed by Radio Tamazuj following the attack showed damaged buildings, rubble from collapsed structures and people recovering bodies from the wreckage.
Tasis condemned the strike and called for an independent investigation, urging the international community, including the United Nations Security Council and human rights organisations, to take measures to protect civilians.
The alliance also cited previous attacks on markets and populated areas, including Abu Za’ima, Jabal Halla, Broosh, Abu ‘Idam, Al-Nayem village and Um Zulayta.
The Emergency Lawyers Group, a Sudanese rights group, condemned the strike, saying it had killed and injured civilians and destroyed civilian property. It called for an independent investigation and accountability for those responsible, saying attacks must distinguish between civilians and combatants under international humanitarian law.
Nyala, one of the largest cities in western Sudan, has been under RSF control since October 2023 and serves as a major stronghold for the paramilitary group in Darfur. The city has been repeatedly targeted by Sudanese military air strikes.
Human Rights Watch documented attacks on residential and commercial areas in Nyala in early 2025 that killed and injured civilians.
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF began in April 2023 after a power struggle between the two forces erupted into open fighting. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and created a severe humanitarian crisis across Sudan.
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