Deadly attacks deepen insecurity in South Darfur and Kassala leaving at least eight dead

Three people, including a child and a member of the civil administration guard, were killed in an armed ambush on the Gireida–Buram road in South Darfur on Saturday, amid mounting insecurity across the region.

Local sources told Radio Dabanga that armed men intercepted a vehicle travelling between Gireida and Buram before opening fire on passengers and escorts. The attack killed a man and a young girl at the scene, while several others sustained injuries of varying severity.

Sources said one member of the civil administration guard went missing during the assault. Residents later found his body and identified him as Abdo Adam Youssef, one of the area’s civil administration guards. Villagers subsequently buried him.

Residents said the Gireida–Buram road has become increasingly dangerous, with frequent armed robberies and attacks targeting travellers and commercial vehicles. They warned that deteriorating security and the lack of effective protection on key routes have spread fear and anxiety among civilians.

Local authorities had not issued an official statement at the time of publication, while investigations into the circumstances of the attack and the final casualty toll continued.

‘Deadly explosion destroys livestock truck near Kassala’

In a separate incident, at least five people were killed and hundreds of livestock perished in a powerful explosion that struck a sheep truck near Abu Talha, west of Kassala’s state capital, Kassala city, on Monday.

Residents of Kassala told Radio Dabanga that they heard a series of violent explosions at about 2:30 a.m. Witnesses later circulated videos showing the truck engulfed in flames, alongside images of dead livestock and human remains scattered around the wreckage.

One witness said the blast triggered a massive fire but added that residents could not determine the exact cause of the explosion or identify the weapon involved. “We do not know whether it was a drone strike, a missile, or something else,” the witness said.

Observers interviewed by Radio Dabanga suggested that explosive military ordnance may have caused the blast. They noted that previous drone attacks on Kassala airport had not produced explosions of similar intensity.

Residents called on Kassala authorities to issue an urgent statement clarifying the nature of the explosion and whether the truck had been deliberately targeted. The area around Abu Talha has long witnessed smuggling activity, including weapons trafficking, while Kassala’s security authorities regularly announce arms seizures in the border region.

Kassala state borders both Eritrea and Ethiopia, where tensions have escalated in recent months alongside growing friction between Ethiopia’s federal government and the neighbouring Tigray region.

Sudan has previously accused Ethiopia of launching drones from Bahir Dar Airport in the Amhara region to strike targets inside Sudan. Ethiopia has denied the accusations and, in turn, accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of cooperating with forces linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.