Sudan’s army claims dozens of RSF fighters killed in Nyala attack

The Sudanese military announced that a series of air strikes on Friday hit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) positions and command centres in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state and the hub of the paramilitary group’s self‑declared administration. In a statement the army said the attacks killed dozens of RSF fighters.

The RSF, however, accused the army of targeting a crowded livestock market in the city, claiming the strike killed 30 civilians, among them 17 women and five children. The group has not confirmed whether any of its fighters were killed or its command sites destroyed in the same operations.

Human‑rights organization Emergency Lawyers posted on X that the market was struck by a drone they described as “affiliated” with the Sudanese army. The claim adds to the conflicting accounts of the incident.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent Almigdad Alruhaid, reporting from Khartoum, said on Saturday that the clash between the army and the RSF has intensified. A source within the Sudanese government told the outlet that RSF forces carried out drone attacks on mining sites in South Kordofan, and that exchanges of fire have escalated across many parts of the country over the past 24 hours.

The army has repeatedly employed drones in the Darfur region as part of its effort to recapture territory held by the RSF, which controls most of the area. Earlier this month, Sudan’s military chief Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan pledged to reclaim “every inch” of land under RSF control.

The conflict, which began in 2023, has already claimed tens of thousands of lives. The United Nations has described the situation in Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.