Hundreds killed in Sudan army airstrike as Darfur war rages on

Sudanese monitoring groups have leveled grave accusations against the national army, claiming it conducted one of the most devastating airstrikes in the country’s two-year civil war, targeting a rebel stronghold in Darfur.

The Emergency Lawyers organisation composed of volunteer legal professionals reported “hundreds of civilian casualties” from what they described as an “indiscriminate bombardment” of Tora market in North Darfur. Residents involved in recovery efforts confirmed counting at least 270 bodies at the scene.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which maintains near-complete control over Darfur and faces US accusations of genocide, has squarely blamed the army for what it calls Monday’s “massacre.”

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This deadly incident unfolds against the backdrop of what has become the world’s most severe humanitarian catastrophe, with current estimates showing that over 30 million Sudanese require urgent assistance - including 16 million children living in desperate conditions.

Among these vulnerable populations, approximately 1.3 million children reside in active famine zones, while more than 770,000 are projected to suffer severe acute malnutrition this year, a condition that often proves fatal without intervention.

Sudan’s descent into violence began in April 2023 when longstanding tensions between military and paramilitary leadership erupted in Khartoum before spreading to Darfur and other regions. The conflict has claimed at least 20,000 lives - though actual numbers are believed to be significantly higher - and displaced more than 14 million people from their homes.

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Darfur, a vast region the size of France, has faced some of the war’s worst violence, including reports of barrel bombs on civilian areas, paramilitary attacks on famine-hit displacement camps and rampant ethnic violence.

Though the paramilitary has deployed highly equipped drones in Darfur, the army retains the advantage in the skies with its warplanes, regularly striking RSF positions across the region.

With inputs from agencies