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Deadly drone strike on Nyala market intensifies Sudan's air war

Deadly drone strike on Nyala market intensifies Sudan's air war

Force in Play

A drone hit a night market in Nyala, killing more than 100 people, as army and RSF attacks hit cities and power stations

October 28th, 2026: Doctors Without Borders reports 36 bodies at Nyala hospital

Overview

Updated Oct 28

More than 100 people were killed in a drone strike on the Tangooj night market in Nyala on October 26, according to the Emergency Lawyers rights group, and the administration that runs the city has since put the toll at 188 dead and 356 wounded. Neither count has been independently verified.

Doctors Without Borders said Nyala Teaching Hospital, which it supports, received 36 bodies and treated more than 150 wounded patients, 21 of the dead in civilian clothes. The charity blamed the Sudanese army for the market strike and for a second strike on a residential neighbourhood. Witnesses told the Associated Press that traders had come to the market to sell food to fighters.

Why it matters

Sudan's drone war is killing hundreds of civilians a month while blocking food aid to millions on the edge of famine.

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Key Indicators

188
Reported dead in Nyala market strike
Toll announced by the RSF-led administration in Nyala; not independently verified. Emergency Lawyers counted more than 100 dead.
306
Killed by drone strikes in first three weeks of October
United Nations human rights office tally covering strikes across Sudan
200,000+
Estimated total war deaths since April 2023
Estimate from aid workers; the conflict has also displaced more than 13 million people
13 million
People displaced by the war
The world's largest displacement crisis, per United Nations figures

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People Involved

Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan
Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan
Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces and head of the Sovereignty Council
Directing the army's air campaign against RSF-held territory
 Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti"
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti"
Commander of the Rapid Support Forces
Leading RSF drone strikes on power infrastructure and government-held areas

Organizations Involved

Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
Paramilitary
Controls Nyala, base of the Sudan Founding Alliance administration; blames the army for the market strike and demands an independent inquiry

A paramilitary force that grew out of the Janjaweed militias of the Darfur conflict and has been at war with Sudan's army since April 2023.
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)
National military
Controls Khartoum and much of Sudan's east; conducting air campaign against RSF positions in Darfur

Sudan's regular army, which recaptured Khartoum state and is now waging an intensified air campaign against RSF-held cities in Darfur and Kordofan.
United Nations
United Nations
International body
Monitoring civilian casualties and warning of famine

Tracks the conflict's civilian toll, counts hundreds of drone-strike deaths monthly, and has repeatedly warned that attacks on power stations endanger health services for millions.
TA
Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS)
Political and military alliance
Runs a rival administration from Nyala; its health ministry reported 188 killed in the market strike

An alliance of the Rapid Support Forces and allied political and armed groups that runs a rival administration from Nyala in South Darfur.
Emergency Lawyers
Emergency Lawyers
Sudanese rights group
Documenting casualties from the Nyala strike and demanding an independent investigation

A Sudanese lawyers' group that tracks killings, injuries and abuses during the war.

Timeline

April 2023 October 2026

9 events Latest: October 28th, 2026 · 2 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Doctors Without Borders reports 36 bodies at Nyala hospital

    Latest Humanitarian

    Nyala Teaching Hospital received 36 bodies and treated more than 150 wounded after the strike, 21 of the dead in civilian clothing. The charity attributed the market strike and a second hit on a residential neighbourhood to the Sudanese army.

  2. RSF drone targets Al-Markhiyat transformer

    Conflict

    A follow-up strike disrupts power across large parts of Khartoum and Al-Jazira states.

  3. Rights group reports more than 100 dead in Nyala strike

    Conflict

    Emergency Lawyers said the October 26 strike on the Tangooj night market killed more than 100 people and wounded 113, with many women and children among them. It blamed the army and called for an independent investigation.

  4. RSF-led administration raises Nyala toll to 188 dead

    Conflict

    The health ministry of the Sudan Founding Alliance put the toll at 188 killed and 356 wounded, up from an earlier count of 102 dead and 113 wounded. The ministry said the figure could change.

  5. Army drone strike hits Nyala night market

    Conflict

    A drone hit the Tangooj night market in the Doumaya area, beside a military training centre; a medical source counted 21 dead and rights groups later reported more than 100.

  6. RSF drones hit power stations in four states

    Conflict

    Coordinated RSF strikes cut electricity in Gezira, White Nile, Sennar and Gedaref states.

  7. Army drone attack kills 150 in disputed border region

    Conflict

    A government drone strike on the Sudan-South Sudan border area kills more than 150 people.

  8. Army recaptures Khartoum state

    Conflict

    Nearly three million people return to the scarred capital, though power and water remain unreliable.

  9. War erupts in Khartoum

    Conflict

    Dispute over integrating the Rapid Support Forces into the army explodes into urban fighting.

Scenarios

1

Army ground offensive retakes Nyala

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Military sources cited by Sudan Tribune

The army's week-long air campaign targets RSF command centers, air defenses, and training hubs in Darfur and Kordofan. Military sources say this prepares the ground for an assault to retake Nyala and other RSF-held cities. If the air campaign degrades RSF capability enough, the army could launch a ground offensive.

2

Drone attrition war grinds on

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: United Nations casualty monitors, aid agencies

If neither side can achieve the conditions for a decisive ground assault, the war settles into continued drone strikes on both sides. The army holds the east and Khartoum; the RSF holds Darfur. Civilian casualties keep mounting and famine warnings intensify as food access deteriorates.

3

Famine pressure forces aid deal

Possible Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Joint statement from United States, European Union, and 30 other countries

Thirty countries warned of alarming food insecurity and demanded unimpeded humanitarian access. If famine worsens and diplomatic pressure builds, the warring sides may accept a ceasefire or aid corridor. Sudan's foreign ministry has denied famine exists, which complicates this path.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2003-2004

Darfur genocide (2003)

Rebels in Darfur rose against the government in Khartoum. The state responded by arming Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, who burned villages, raped, and killed civilians across Darfur. The International Criminal Court later issued genocide and crimes-against-humanity warrants over the campaign.

Then

Tens of thousands killed and more than 2 million people displaced into camps.

Now

The Janjaweed consolidated into the Rapid Support Forces, now a national power in their own right.

Why this matters now

The RSF fighting the army today began as the army's own proxy militia in Darfur. Nyala is the RSF's de facto capital in the region where this history was written.

1983-2005

Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005)

Africa's longest civil war pitted the government in Khartoum against southern rebels for 22 years. An estimated 2 million people died, most from famine and disease, and 4 million were displaced.

Then

Ended with the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and South Sudan's independence in 2011.

Now

Sudan's pattern of internal conflict continued in Darfur and now between the army and the RSF.

Why this matters now

Sudan has a history of wars that last decades and kill millions, mostly civilians. The current war's estimated toll of over 200,000 may be early in a longer cycle.

2012-2016

Battle of Aleppo (2012-2016)

Syrian government forces besieged and bombed Aleppo, the country's largest rebel-held city, using air power and starvation tactics. The city fell to the government in December 2016.

Then

The Assad government regained Syria's major cities and turned the war in its favor.

Now

Urban bombardment became a template for recapturing rebel-held territory through air power.

Why this matters now

The Sudanese army's intensified air campaign against Nyala and other RSF-held cities mirrors the approach of bombing a city into submission before a ground assault.

Sources

(12)
+6
Al Jazeera DAWN Hindustan Times Sudan Tribune CGTN NRK AP News The Sudan Times Doctors Without Borders Al Jazeera The Washington Post Sudan Tribune