Nyala strikes kill more than 100, Emergency Lawyers says
Emergency Lawyers puts the toll from Monday’s attacks in Nyala, Sudan, at more than 100 dead and 113 wounded. MSF says its teams saw more than 150 wounded at one hospital.
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Monday’s strikes in Nyala, Sudan, killed more than 100 people, mostly women and children, and wounded 113, Emergency Lawyers said. The overall toll and the numbers of civilians and fighters killed remain independently unverified.
Nyala, in South Darfur, is controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and serves as their de facto capital. Their war with Sudan’s army is in its fourth year and has caused severe poverty, food shortages and mass displacement.
Different casualty accounts
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said a second strike hit a civilian neighbourhood after the market attack. Its hospital observations are distinct from the casualty counts issued by Emergency Lawyers and Sudan Doctors Network.
| Organization | Deaths or bodies received | Wounded | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency Lawyers | More than 100 deaths | 113 | Group’s toll for Monday’s attacks |
| Sudan Doctors Network | 21 deaths | More than 40 | Preliminary count issued Wednesday; the group said shelling caused most deaths |
| MSF | 36 bodies received | More than 150 seen in the emergency room | Observations at one supported hospital in the hours after the strike, not a citywide tally |
MSF said 21 of the 36 bodies were wearing civilian clothing. Clothing alone does not establish whether someone was a civilian. Sudan Doctors Network said active military operations and security constraints delayed its statement by hindering access to people documenting casualties and efforts to verify them.
Witnesses describe fighters and vendors at the market
Two witnesses who spoke to the Associated Press described fighters and civilian vendors among those killed. Their accounts were carried by Al Jazeera. Both witnesses spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation.
A cigarette vendor said hundreds of RSF fighters gathered at the market that evening and a drone struck around 8pm, killing dozens of fighters and women selling food. A second witness described a massive explosion that killed many fighters and estimated that about 14 civilians, including women and children, were also killed.
Mohamed Didan, spokesperson for the Special Operations Forces fighting alongside Sudan’s army, gave a military-target account. He wrote that a “precise and targeted air strike” at Dumaya camp, west of Nyala, killed more than “150 militia recruits”. Responsibility for the strikes remains independently unverified.
Darfur aid worker Mubarak Bekheit said on Wednesday that many people remained missing and some bodies had yet to be recovered from homes after the strike on the civilian neighbourhood.
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