Sudanupdated 1h ago2 min read
Sudanese Army Accused Of Drone Strike On Nyala Livestock Market, RSF Says Killed 30
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Drone strike on Nyala's crowded livestock market killed 30 and wounded 47. Sudanese army says strikes targeted RSF command centers and positions in Nyala.
Nyala drone market dispute
The Sudanese army accused the RSF of operating from Nyala in South Darfur as the RSF accused the army of a drone strike on a crowded livestock market in the same city. Ahmed Ishaq Shanab, information minister and spokesman for the Darfur regional government, said the latest strikes were “painful” for the RSF and caused heavy losses in personnel and equipment, according to Sudan’s state news agency SUNA. The RSF said a drone strike hit the livestock market in Nyala and caused civilian casualties, and it remained unclear whether the RSF cited strike was the same operation announced by the army.
A hospital source reported that a drone strike on a cattle market in Nyala killed 30 people and wounded 47 others on Friday, October 16, 2026, according to Agence France-Press. The UN said drone strikes are now the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan, as Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Alruhaid reported from Khartoum.
Competing claims and verification
The Sudanese army said it carried out airstrikes targeting RSF command centers and positions in Nyala, and it claimed the strikes killed dozens of RSF fighters and destroyed several command centers. Ahmed Ishaq Shanab warned that the RSF was “not safe” in Nyala or elsewhere and said the army would continue pursuing the group as far as Um Dafuq, near Sudan’s border with the Central African Republic. The RSF accused the Sudanese army on Friday of carrying out a drone strike on a livestock market in Nyala, and the RSF said the attack caused civilian casualties.
The sources said the casualty figures and the nature of the targets could not be independently verified, and the reports left responsibility for the market strike unresolved. A medical source at Nyala Hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity that the strike hit the livestock market on a Friday morning when traders and shoppers typically crowd the area.
War context and what is at risk
The Sudanese army and RSF have been fighting since April 2023, and the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis. The UN said drone strikes are now the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan, and the reporting tied the Nyala market attack to the broader pattern of drone warfare. The New Arab said more than 1,100 people were killed in drone attacks across Sudan during the first half of this year alone, citing the UN.
The Darfur regional government spokesman said the RSF was “not safe” in Nyala or elsewhere, while the RSF blamed the army for the market strike and alleged civilian casualties. The reports said Nyala serves as an administrative and military center for the RSF and its allies under the Sudan Founding Alliance, known as Tasis, making the city a recurring target of military operations.