Sudan Market Drone Strike: Rights Group Reports More Than 100 Killed as MSF Treats Over 150 Wounded

A drone strike on a crowded market in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region has left dozens of people dead and more than 150 wounded, with a Sudanese human rights group reporting that the death toll may have exceeded 100.

The attack struck a market in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, on Monday evening, October 26, as civilians and traders gathered in an area controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights organisation monitoring violence against civilians, said more than 100 people were killed and 113 injured. The group accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of carrying out the attack and called for an independent investigation.

Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, separately reported that Nyala Teaching Hospital had received 36 bodies, including 21 people wearing civilian clothing, and treated more than 150 wounded patients.

The hospital figures establish a substantial casualty toll but do not independently confirm the rights group's higher estimate.

MSF said a second drone strike also struck a residential neighbourhood. Medical workers described receiving patients with shrapnel wounds, severe burns and other traumatic injuries, with some transported to hospital on motorcycles and animal-drawn carts.

The organisation's project coordinator in Nyala, Dale Koninckx, said medical teams worked through the emergency to treat the injured, including women and children.

MSF attributed the attack to Sudan's military. However, the complete circumstances of the strike and the identity of every person killed have not been independently established.

Nyala has become a major stronghold of the Rapid Support Forces, which has been fighting Sudan's regular army since April 2023.

The latest attack comes amid an intensification of drone warfare across the country, with both sides accused of striking populated areas and essential civilian infrastructure.

In a separate development on Tuesday, a drone strike damaged an electricity substation in Omdurman, disrupting power supplies across large parts of Khartoum and surrounding areas.

An electricity company official blamed the Rapid Support Forces for that attack, while the state electricity distributor confirmed extensive damage to the network without publicly identifying the perpetrators.

The disruption affected access to water and electricity, leaving hospitals and businesses increasingly dependent on emergency generators.

Sudan's conflict has created one of the world's gravest humanitarian emergencies, displacing millions of people and leaving much of the population dependent on international assistance.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure are worsening an already severe humanitarian situation.

The latest violence follows international appeals for Sudan's warring parties to remove restrictions on humanitarian assistance and protect civilians.

For residents of Nyala, the immediate concerns are the treatment of the injured, the recovery and identification of victims, and the safety of communities exposed to repeated attacks.

An independently verified final death toll has not yet been established.