December 12, Nairobi — On Monday evening, the city of Nyala, capital of South Darfur, was hit by airstrikes from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), killing dozens of civilians and damaging the airport and former United Nations peacekeeping headquarters.
On Tuesday there were violent explosions and fire around the headquarters of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“These airstrikes are a blatant violation of international law and a direct threat to the safety of civilians,” said a representative from the Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR). “The continued attacks on Nyala have amplified fears of displacement, with families fleeing to avoid further violence.”
The RSF then proceeded to arrest dozens of people in Nyala accusing them of providing coordinates for the airstrikes conducted by SAF. According to the Sudan Tribune, RSF intelligence officers detained civilians in several locations across Nyala, including a bus stop in El Geneina. The army had also targeted the Ansar camp which was housing a large number of RSF reservists were due to to be transferred to El Fasher.
Nyala is the second largest city of Sudan and has been heavily impacted by the conflict. Before the war began the city was hosting one of the largest numbers of internally displaced persons (IDP), and this has increased rapidly in the last year.