Drone strike on Nyala livestock market kills 30 civilians, wounds 47 Nyala – Shahid Evidence | Saturday, 17 October 2026

A drone strike on the livestock market in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, killed 30 people and wounded 47 others at midday on Friday, 16 October 2026. AFP reported the toll, citing a medical source at Nyala Hospital who did not say who carried out the attack.

The Rapid Support Forces’ official media office said preliminary information showed that 17 women and five children were among the dead. It accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of carrying out the strike with a Turkish-made drone. The spokesperson of the Peace Government and the Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasis) also held the army responsible. The alliance described the attack as a “massacre” and a “war crime,” and called on the UN Security Council and human rights organisations to intervene urgently. The RSF and Tasis further accused Egypt of involvement, alleging that the drone was launched from the Jebel Uweinat base; this claim could not be independently verified.

The Sudanese army said it had destroyed RSF command and control centres in Nyala in a series of airstrikes on Friday. A military source told AFP that “all attacks were aimed at military objectives,” but did not address the civilian deaths at the market.

The Emergency Lawyers group condemned the strike on the market as a violation of international conventions. The Shahid Evidence Platform issued Statement of Condemnation No. 002. It called for an independent international investigation, urged the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan to include the incident in its inquiries, and called for medical and humanitarian teams to be given access to the wounded.

The attack comes amid an escalation in drone warfare in Sudan. According to the United Nations, more than 1,100 people were killed in drone attacks across the country in the first half of 2026.