At least 89 killed in Sudanese army airstrike on North Darfur town

At least 89 people were killed and wounded in the town of El Koma in North Darfur, following an aerial bombardment reportedly carried out by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) warplanes, on Sunday. The El Koma Emergency Room confirmed the toll in a statement and shared the names of five civilian victims.

The airstrike struck El Koma amid a reported civilian march. Residents told Radio Dabanga the bombing caused widespread panic and destruction. This marks the resumption of airstrikes by SAF in North Darfur after a prolonged pause.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) currently control El Koma and most of North Darfur, except the state capital El Fasher.

RSF shelling

In El Fasher, sources reported ongoing RSF artillery shelling of the city yesterday. Shells landed in the morning and again in the afternoon, as the battle for control of the city intensified.

Witnesses said skirmishes were concentrated on the city’s southeastern and northeastern flanks. RSF commanders in the south of El Fasher told Radio Dabanga that they are nearing full control of the capital.

Renewed drone strikes on Port Sudan

In the Red Sea state, drone strikes targeted Port Sudan on Saturday, prompting ground-based countermeasures by the SAF. The city, which has remained under SAF control and houses the de facto government, has faced intermittent drone attacks since early May.

South Darfur

In South Darfur, gunmen raided a market in Nyala yesterday, looting goods and triggering its temporary closure. Local sources confirmed the state security committee deployed forces to secure the market and pursue the attackers.

In Central Darfur’s capital of Zalingei, RSF elements reportedly opened fire in the market near El Hamidiya camp, killing two civilians and injuring several others, according to residents.

‘UN condemns escalating attacks’

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Sudan, Kristine Hambrouck, from the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator , condemned recent attacks on civilians and humanitarian infrastructure, describing them as “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

In a statement issued from Port Sudan on 1 June, Hambrouck expressed alarm at the 30 May drone strike on Eldaman International Hospital in El Obeid in North Kordofan, which killed six healthcare workers and injured over 15 others. 

The attack, reportedly carried out by the RSF, struck while patients and medics were inside the facility.

A day earlier, repeated shelling damaged the World Food Programme’s compound in El Fasher, a critical lifeline for humanitarian aid in the region.

“These facilities are essential to sustaining life in the face of a worsening humanitarian crisis,” said Hambrouck. “Those who attack them must be held accountable.”

She called on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and cease targeting civilians and humanitarian operations.