SAF intensifies airstrikes in Nyala, dozens of civilians killed

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) have escalated their aerial bombardment of Nyala, South Darfur’s capital, with airstrikes continuing for a fourth consecutive day, local sources reported on Monday.

On Sunday, an SAF warplane dropped barrel bombs on a busy marketplace and several residential areas in eastern Nyala, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties.

According to Sudanese journalist Abu Ubaida Barghouth, the SAF’s bombardment is part of a larger strategy targeting communities deemed to support rival factions. “This is a consistent approach by the Sudanese military to punish and weaken opposition groups,” Barghouth told Erm News.

He accused the SAF of intentionally attacking civilians in a bid to drive people from their homes and deprive them of resources, pushing them into reliance on humanitarian aid. “The aim is clear: displace communities, destroy livelihoods, and ensure they have no choice but to depend on external aid,” Barghouth explained.

This campaign has drawn comparisons to the early 2000s, when the SAF employed similar scorched-earth tactics in Darfur during the civil conflict, displacing nearly six million people, many of whom remain in refugee and internally displaced person (IDP) camps today.

Widespread Destruction and Displacement
Nyala, one of Sudan’s largest cities, has borne the brunt of the airstrikes, with reports from residents indicating up to five bombings daily. Residential areas, markets, hospitals, and key infrastructure have been heavily damaged, exacerbating the suffering of the city’s dense civilian population.

The SAF’s offensive has also extended to other towns, including Kuma in North Darfur, where residents have reported similar bombardment. Human rights organizations have condemned the SAF for indiscriminately targeting civilian areas suspected of harboring support for the rival Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Systematic Strategy Behind the Attacks
Human rights groups monitoring the conflict, such as The Advocacy Group for Darfur Victims, argue that the bombings are part of a deliberate strategy to dismantle the region’s social and economic structure. “These airstrikes are not random. They are part of a larger effort to destroy local economies and forcibly displace entire communities,” the group said in a statement.

Legal advocacy organizations, including Emergency Lawyers, have also condemned the attacks, specifically the use of barrel bombs on civilian areas like Al-Matar, Al-Rahman, and Al-Masani in Nyala. They argue that these actions constitute war crimes.

“These are not military strikes; these are targeted attacks on civilian populations. The repeated use of barrel bombs in these areas violates international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions,” Emergency Lawyers said.

The continued bombings have only worsened the already dire humanitarian crisis in Darfur, displacing thousands of civilians each day. Rights advocates warn that these tactics echo previous atrocities in the region, which contributed to one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century.

As the violence intensifies, calls for accountability grow louder, yet with no clear resolution in sight, civilians in Nyala and throughout Darfur remain trapped in a worsening conflict.

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