Sudan’s military says a series of air attacks on Nyala, a city in the southwest, killed dozens of fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The paramilitary group, however, accuses the army of killing civilians in the same attacks.
The army said Friday’s strikes hit RSF positions and command centres in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state. The city is also the seat of the group’s self-declared administration, according to the army’s statement.
The RSF gave a different account. It said an army drone struck a busy livestock market, killing 30 civilians, including 17 women and five children. The group has neither confirmed nor denied that other army attacks killed some of its fighters and destroyed its command centres.
Rights group links drone strike to the army
Separately, the human rights group Emergency Lawyers said in a post on X that a market in Nyala was hit on Friday. It said the drone involved was “affiliated” with the Sudanese army.
Reporting from Khartoum, a correspondent said fighting between the army and the RSF had “intensified” by Saturday. A Sudanese government source also said RSF drones had attacked mining sites in South Kordofan, with fire exchanges increasing across many parts of Sudan over the previous 24 hours.
Army vows to retake Darfur territory
The army has repeatedly used drones against the Darfur region in western Sudan in an effort to retake territory held by the RSF, which controls most of the area. Earlier this month, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan promised to seize “every inch” of land under RSF control.
The civil war that began in 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people. The United Nations has described the situation in Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
