Arabic version: تضارب في حصيلة ضحايا ضربة مسيّرة على سوق في نيالا

According to Allafrica, a drone strike on a crowded market in Nyala, South Darfur, killed at least 36 people and injured more than 150, citing Médecins Sans Frontières. The health ministry of the Tasees government later reported a higher toll of 188 dead and 356 injured. The discrepancy has not been resolved.

MSF said Nyala Teaching Hospital received 36 bodies after what it described as a Sudanese Armed Forces drone strike on Dumaya market at about 20:00 on Monday. It said 21 of the dead were wearing civilian clothing and that a residential neighbourhood was also targeted. Medical teams treated more than 150 injured people, many suffering shrapnel wounds and severe burns.

Del Koninckx, MSF’s project coordinator in Nyala, said wounded people were brought to hospital in tuk-tuks and donkey-drawn carts. Medical staff worked around the clock to treat patients, including women and children who were deeply traumatised. MSF condemned attacks on markets, saying such sites are where people obtain food and where large numbers of civilians gather.

The civilian administration in South Darfur also condemned the strike, saying an army drone hit Dumaya market while civilians were conducting normal commercial activities. It said those affected included women selling falafel, snacks and tea, and called for an urgent international investigation. Separately, the Sudan Liberation Movement said five relatives of one of its members were killed.

The strike followed a 16 October drone attack on Nyala’s livestock market that killed at least four people and injured several others. MSF warned that attacks on markets expose civilians to violence and threaten access to food and essential supplies as malnutrition worsens.