A devastating air strike on a bustling marketplace in Darfur’s Kabkabiya town has reportedly killed over 100 people and injured hundreds more. The attack, which occurred on Monday during the weekly market day, has been described as a "horrific massacre" by the Emergency Lawyers rights group.
Residents from nearby villages had gathered at the market, located approximately 180 kilometers west of El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur under military control. According to Emergency Lawyers, the attack on civilians constitutes a "flagrant violation of international law."
The air strike comes amid intensifying clashes between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The 19-month conflict has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale, displacing over 11 million people and drawing accusations of war crimes from both sides.
The RSF has faced criticism for indiscriminate shelling in Omdurman, near the capital Khartoum, with a shell striking a bus on Tuesday and killing 14 people. Meanwhile, an air strike on Sunday in an RSF-controlled area of Khartoum hit a petrol station, leaving at least 28 people dead and 37 injured, according to the South Belt Emergency Response Room.
While the military has fighter jets at its disposal, it denies targeting civilians, asserting that its airstrikes are aimed at RSF installations. "These operations are legitimate measures to defend the nation," a military spokesperson stated, reiterating their intention to continue targeting RSF strongholds.
Campaign groups, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), have condemned the violence, calling for immediate international intervention. HRW has documented a pattern of atrocities, including ethnic cleansing campaigns in West Darfur and widespread abuses by the RSF in South Kordofan state between December 2023 and March 2024.
“These findings underscore the urgent need for the deployment of a mission to protect civilians in Sudan,” said HRW researcher Jean-Baptiste Gallopin.
The United Nations and African Union are being urged to deploy peacekeeping forces to curb escalating violence. Meanwhile, the U.S. special envoy for Sudan previously estimated that the conflict may have claimed as many as 150,000 lives.
The ongoing violence has exacerbated Sudan’s dire humanitarian situation, with millions forced from their homes and essential infrastructure destroyed. Rights groups continue to pressure the international community to take decisive action to halt the atrocities and provide aid to those affected.
As the crisis deepens, the need for accountability and protection of civilians becomes ever more urgent.