SOUTH DARFUR – Sudan’s military carried out a series of deadly airstrikes in Nyala, South Darfur, using unguided air-dropped bombs that killed and injured scores of civilians in early February, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The rights group says the attacks were indiscriminate and may amount to war crimes.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) launched multiple strikes in residential and commercial areas of Nyala, the largest city in Darfur, despite the presence of thousands of civilians. HRW says that the use of bombs with wide-area effects and limited precision makes such strikes inherently indiscriminate when used in densely populated zones.
“These attacks have killed scores of men, women, and children, destroyed families, and caused fear and displacement,” said Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, senior crisis, conflict, and arms researcher at HRW. “The Sudanese military has hit densely populated residential and commercial neighborhoods in Nyala using inaccurate bombs.”
HRW documented the events through field interviews and digital evidence analysis. The organization said its researchers conducted detailed investigations into five airstrikes on February 3, 2025, a day marked by particularly high civilian casualties. investigators spoke with 11 victims and witnesses, along with three medical professionals who treated those wounded. they also reviewed Satellite imagery, photos, and videos posted on social media, as well as visual documentation of munition remnants collected at the scene.
“These were not isolated or accidental bombings,” HRW said, pointing to repeated SAF aerial assaults on Nyala since November 2024, shortly after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city in late october 2023. With over 800,000 residents before the current conflict, Nyala remains one of Sudan’s most population urban centers and a key strategic location.
The report underscores the indiscriminate nature of the SAF’s air campaign. Unguided bombs, HRW emphasized, cannot be precisely aimed at specific military targets, especially in urban settings, making their use in such areas a violation of international humanitarian law.
“Deliberately or recklessly conducting indiscriminate attacks is a war crime,” the organization said in its statement.
HRW called on the SAF to immediately halt such attacks and urged the international community to take action. “Other countries should sanction Sudan’s air force leadership for such attacks,” the organization stated.
The Nyala airstrikes are the latest in a series of attacks that have drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and humanitarian agencies. Since the outbreak of war between the SAF and the RSF in April 2023, both parties have been accused of grave abuses, including targeting civilians, looting aid, and obstructing humanitarian access.
HRW’s report adds to growing pressure on Sudan’s warring parties to uphold international legal standards. The organization also reiterated its demand for accountability, warning that continued impunity will only fuel further atrocities in the ongoing conflict.
As the war grinds on, Nyala’s residents remain trapped between armed actors. While SAF warplanes pound RSF-held areas, the RSF’s own abuses against civilians have also been widely documented, deepening a humanitarian crisis with no end in sight.
