Drone strikes hit fuel traders near Chad border, residents say

EL GENEINA – Sudanese army drones conducted airstrikes on Sunday targeting fuel trading sites and vehicles in West Darfur near the border with Chad, killing at least two people and injuring three others, witnesses and local sources said.

The strikes hit the border crossing area of Adkong and the northern locality of Salai’a, destroying commercial trucks and sparking panic among residents who said the targets were civilian, not military.

A resident in Adkong said drones fired multiple missiles at a market area used for cross-border trade.

“The drones fired five missiles at the Adkong border crossing, striking fuel trading sites, an area east of the valley, and several grass shelters,” said the resident, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

Another local source confirmed that two people were killed and three were wounded in the attack, though their identities were not immediately clear. The source added that the bombardment destroyed three trucks belonging to local residents that were being used to transport goods.

“These vehicles were used by civilians, not for military activities,” a second witness said.

In a separate strike on the same day, a drone targeted the locality of Salai’a, north of the state capital El Geneina. Residents reported that a Toyota Hilux pickup truck was directly hit.

“The vehicle belonged to civilians, and the attack caused panic among people in the area,” a resident said. “Many fled the area immediately after the explosions, fearing further strikes.”

Witnesses told Reuters that there were no visible military positions at the sites targeted, describing them instead as hubs for local economic activity and transport.

The full extent of the material damage remains unclear as communication with the remote border region is often difficult.

Neither the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) nor local civil authorities in West Darfur immediately issued a statement regarding the strikes.

Drone warfare has become a defining feature of the conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). While both sides have utilized unmanned aerial vehicles to target enemy positions and supply lines, accusations of indiscriminate bombing of markets and residential areas have been frequent.

West Darfur, which has seen some of the worst ethnically motivated violence of the war, has largely fallen under the control of the RSF, though the army continues to contest rural locations along the border with Chad.

The border with Chad is a vital lifeline for civilians fleeing the violence and for the flow of goods into the cut-off region. Disruption of trade routes and fuel supplies often has a devastating impact on the humanitarian situation on the ground.

Residents said the attacks have halted daily life in the affected areas, with traders fearing to return to the border markets.

“Based on what we saw, the strikes hit civilian areas, including fuel traders and transport vehicles,” one witness said.