Nyala, October 27 (Darfur24)
Dozens of civilians were killed and wounded in a drone strike attributed to the Sudanese army that hit a local market in Nyala, South Darfur, on Monday, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.
A medical source at South Darfur’s Ministry of Health told Darfur24 that an initial count put the death toll at about 20, with more than 20 others injured. The source said the dead included seven women and five children, adding that some of the wounded were in serious condition.
Some injured people were taken to health facilities, while others were transferred to the Rapid Support Forces’ Emergency and Injury Centre in Nyala, the source said.
However, the Ministry of Health in the Founding Alliance (TASIS) government announced on Tuesday that 102 people had been killed and 113 injured in the attack. The ministry blamed the Sudanese army for the strike.
Ahmed Daoud, an eyewitness from the Doumaia area, told Darfur24 that a drone fired a missile from the west at the Tanqong night market, near the Nyala Valley and the road linking Nyala to Kass.
Daoud said the strike killed civilians, including workers at local restaurants and shops and children who worked as shoe shiners. He added that military personnel were also among the casualties.
Some bodies were difficult to identify because they had been burned, while others could not be reached that night, he said.
Residents and paramedics helped rescue the wounded and transport them to treatment centers using private cars and tuk-tuks, Daoud added.
TASIS’s health ministry called on the United Nations and international organizations to provide urgent protection, aid and medical supplies. It also urged the documentation of the attack, accountability for those responsible, and protection for hospitals, medical staff and ambulances.
On October 16, another drone strike hit Nyala’s livestock market northeast of the city. The state’s civil administration reported about 30 deaths and additional injuries, while Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) confirmed that at least four people, including a child, had been killed and eight injured.
