Children killed in SAF barrel bomb attacks in Nyala, residents say civil order in the city is close to collapse
January 10, 2025 -- Scores of civilians have been killed in Nyala, Sudan's second biggest city, following weeks of airstrikes and barrel bomb attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the country's de-facto rulers.
On Monday night, January 6, Sudanese military aircraft bombed three different areas of the city, dropping indiscriminate barrel bombs near Nyala University's student dormitories, also hitting neighborhoods close to Nyala Airport and in the north of the city.
An airstrike on 2 January 2025 killed five family members. According to Sky News Arabia, on 19 December SAF airstrikes hit a school sheltering over 1,000 displaced people, mostly women and children, in central Nyala, causing devastating casualties. Accurate casualty figures are not available, in part due to severe communications blackouts.
Ibrahim, a resident of Nyala, told Avaaz: "Most airstrikes in Nyala occur at night. Our children struggle to sleep due to the noise, only managing to rest once the sound of military aircraft completely fades.
"We rarely know the precise location of strikes unless they hit residential areas, like the recent attack on Tayba neighborhood or those near the airport. Even impacts on the main market go unreported since that area is now abandoned."
The Sudanese military's airstrikes on Nyala were in response to repeated landings of Emirati aircraft at Nyala Airport, UNAMID airport, and three makeshift airstrips, according to claims by Bashir Marsal, the SAF-appointed governor of South Darfur based in Port Sudan. Marsal claimed facilities were being used to smuggle gold from the Sango mine, in South Darfur, to the UAE along with agricultural products, livestock, and oil. Avaaz has received independent reports from local sources supporting these claims, but has yet to verify them. Many of the SAF airstrikes hit residential areas of the city, far from the alleged UAE landings.
Within the RSF-controlled city, social order appears close to collapse, according to reports from multiple sources in Nyala. Gangs roam the streets, looting, robbing and executing those who resist. The civil administration has responded by imposing strict night time curfews and a ban on non-security forces openly carrying weapons.
"We face daily security threats, from looting and armed robbery that disrupt our attempts to maintain normal routines. Communication with family and friends outside Nyala is severely limited. We rely solely on Starlink for internet access, while some use Thuraya satellite phones. Otherwise, we remain isolated from the outside world."
The airstrikes in Nyala have prompted a fresh wave of displacement, according to Sudan War Monitor, with dozens of families fleeing to neighboring villages, states and out of the country.
In October 2023 the UAE-backed RSF seized control of Nyala from the army after months of fighting which forced more than 670,000 people to flee their homes. Nyala, capital of South Darfur state, is a strategic city connecting Sudan with Central African Republic (CAR) - a key supply route between the RSF and the UAE.
Before the war, Nyala was a hub for humanitarian organisations. But since its outbreak, most organisations have not returned. The UN still has no international staff in the city, where MSF is one of the only international organisations present. MSF said newborn babies, pregnant women, and new mothers are "dying in shocking numbers in South Darfur, mainly due to preventable conditions".
Relentless attacks on displacement camp in El Fasher, North Darfur
Today, Abu Shouk, a major civilian displacement camp in El Fasher, the beleaguered North Darfur capital, was hit with around 20 long range rockets by the RSF, killing four civilians and injuring 10. The camp has been hit by both RSF artillery and SAF airstrikes over the past week.
The volunteer Emergency Response Room (ERR) said the RSF had been shelling Abu Shouk camp on a regular basis for more than 4 months, hitting residential homes inside the camp, killing and wounding civilians. The ERR said in its statement, "We have not yet reached an accurate count, and attributed this to the lack of communication due to the disruption of the Starlink devices, and the automatic imposition of a curfew due to the tense situation."
The UAE-backed RSF is also imposing a severe siege on Abu Shouk, which has brought famine to the camp with humanitarian aid blocked, no employment and local markets closed. The ERR added: “We are communicating with the local and international community to try to stop the parties of the conflict from targeting the residents of the camp.”
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This dispatch is the latest in a weekly series designed to support the international media's coverage of the war in Sudan.
The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts and survivors of the war. Please email sudan@avaaz.org.
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The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is building an earthen wall around El Fasher to create a “kill box” and prevent civilians fleeing the besieged city, satellite imagery suggests.
People caught trying to smuggle food into the besieged city of El Fasher are being “executed on sight” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to one civilian.
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