Nyala market strike toll ranges from 36 to 188 dead
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Dabanga
A drone strike on Dumaya market in Nyala, South Darfur, killed at least 36 people and injured more than 150, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The Tasees government’s Ministry of Health put the toll at 188 dead and 356 injured, an estimate reported by Radio Dabanga, with the discrepancy with MSF’s figures unresolved.
A drone strike on Dumaya market in Nyala, South Darfur state, Sudan, killed at least 36 people and injured more than 150 on Monday evening. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says Nyala Teaching Hospital received 36 bodies after an attack attributed to the Sudanese army at around 8pm.
The Tasees government’s Ministry of Health gave a much higher toll on Tuesday: 188 dead and 356 injured. The figures remain contradictory. MSF says 21 of the dead were wearing civilian clothes and its teams treated injured people, including those with shrapnel wounds and severe burns. According to MSF project coordinator in Nyala, Del Koninckx, victims were taken to hospital in tuk-tuks and donkey-drawn carts.
The civil administration of South Darfur condemned the strike and called for an international investigation. The Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdel Wahid El Nur, said five members of a family related to one of its members had been killed. The attack also targeted a residential neighbourhood, according to MSF, which condemned strikes on markets, homes and civilian infrastructure.
The strike comes amid a series of attacks on markets in Nyala. On 16 October, an attack on the city’s livestock market killed at least four people and injured several others, according to MSF; a toll of 30 dead was subsequently reported (strike on Nyala livestock market). On 27 October, conflicting tolls had already been reported for the Dumaya attack (Sudanese army strike in Nyala).
