Sudan violence: Drone strike on Nyala market kills at least 30 people

A drone strike on a cattle market in Sudan, Nyala, has killed at least 30 people. It's one of the deadliest attacks on the city, a stronghold of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The RSF has blamed the army for the strike. A military source acknowledged the increase in attacks in the area, but did not claim responsibility. The Sudanese army and the RSF have been at war since April 2023 in a conflict that's devastated the country. Well, the UN says that drones caused 80% of civilian deaths in Sudan, killing 880 civilians in the first four months of this year. Last month, a UN fact-finding mission warned outside forces were fueling the war. It said that external support networks had enhanced the drone capabilities of both the army and the Rapid Support Forces. And the UN Human Rights Council says that it's found reasonable grounds that RSF drone strikes on El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan province, between July and August may amount to war crimes. Well, Sudan's war has displaced more than 14 million people and triggered what the UN says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Millions face severe food shortages and humanitarian aid deliveries are hampered by ongoing fighting and restricted access. Let's go live to Khartoum. Al Jazeera's Al-Magd Al-Ruheid is with us from there. Tell us more about what we know about this drone attack, Al-Magd. Well, actually, the fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army has intensified in the recent days and weeks, and there right now is a growing concern over civilian casualties after these deadly reported airstrikes, whether in Blue Nile, South Darfur, and South Kordofan. yesterday afternoon. The Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army, both of them, claimed responsibility of the ongoing airstrikes. The Sudanese army says Friday afternoon that it carried out airstrikes over the RSF command centres and positions and also claimed that dozens of the fighters were killed in those airstrikes and also published and posted many of the photos reported the ongoing attacks in Nyala. Nyala has been under RSF control, which is in South Darfur. And right now it resembles like a capital for their administration, a self-declared government and parallel administration for the RSF and its allies. The RSF, on the The other hand condemned the army by carrying out airstrikes on a crowded livestock market in Nyala. And also it says more than 30 people were killed, including women and children. But the Sudanese army and the RSF did not mention that they target the market or livestock market. They accused RSF of using airstrikes in Blue Nile and also in South Kordofan. A government source says to Al Jazeera that the RSF yesterday also carried out airstrikes by drone attacks on the artisanal mine sites in South Kordofan, in Badroun, in Gadri locality. So there is a growing concern right now over civilian casualties after a deadly and reported airstrikes, whether from the RSF, especially in Blue Nile, in the recent days and weeks, which in the past weeks and in the past two weeks, actually, the RSF condemned more than three to four swarm of drone airstrikes on the capital of Blue Nile in southeast of Sudan. So there's a growing concern over casualties who are right now earning or working to earn living in a life caught by the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese army since April 2023. Al Jazeera, Salma Dadal Raheib reporting live from Khartoum.