Sudan army and RSF trade claims after Nyala air and drone strikes

The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have traded claims after a series of strikes in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state. The army said it carried out air attacks on Friday that killed dozens of RSF fighters and hit positions and command centres in the city. The RSF, meanwhile, said a drone strike on a busy livestock market killed 30 civilians, including women and children.

The army said the targets were RSF positions and command centres in Nyala, which is also the seat of the paramilitary group's self-declared administration. The RSF did not confirm or deny whether separate army attacks killed fighters or destroyed command centres. A human rights group, Emergency Lawyers, said on social media that a market was hit in Nyala and that the drone used was affiliated with the Sudanese army.

The competing accounts come as fighting between the army and the RSF has intensified in several parts of Sudan. Reporting from Khartoum, a correspondent said the exchange of fire had increased over the previous 24 hours. A source in the Sudanese government also said RSF drone attacks had hit mining sites in South Kordofan, suggesting the violence was not limited to Darfur.

Nyala is a strategically important city in western Sudan and one of the main centres under RSF control. The army has repeatedly used drones in Darfur in an effort to regain territory held by the paramilitary force. This month, Sudanese military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan vowed to seize every inch of territory under RSF control, underlining the military's stated aim of reversing the group's gains.

The incident also highlights the wider civilian toll of Sudan's war, which began in 2023 and has killed tens of thousands of people. The United Nations has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and attacks on markets raise further concern about the safety of civilians in areas where front lines and populated areas overlap. The reported deaths of women and children, if confirmed, would add to the pressure on both sides over the conduct of the war.

What remains unclear is the full scale of the damage in Nyala and whether the army strike and the market attack were part of the same operation or separate incidents. Independent verification of the casualty figures has not been provided in the available reports. The next developments to watch are any further statements from the army, the RSF and rights groups, as well as whether fighting spreads further across Darfur and other regions.

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