The ongoing civil conflict in Sudan has claimed yet another devastating toll on civilian lives, as a military airstrike on a bustling market in North Darfur left over 100 people dead and hundreds more injured on Monday. The tragic incident has drawn widespread condemnation and underscores the escalating brutality of a 20-month war that has left millions displaced and the nation teetering on the brink of famine.
The attack occurred in Kabkabiya, a town located approximately 180 kilometers west of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. Monday was the town’s weekly market day, attracting residents from nearby villages. The crowded market turned into a scene of horror as an airstrike obliterated the area, leaving behind scenes of charred bodies, mangled structures, and a community in mourning.
The Emergency Lawyers, a pro-democracy legal advocacy group documenting human rights abuses in Sudan, confirmed the death toll exceeded 100, including women and children, with hundreds more sustaining injuries. Eyewitness accounts described chaos and despair as survivors sifted through the rubble in search of loved ones.
Footage purportedly capturing the aftermath showed the burned remains of children on the scorched ground, a heartbreaking testament to the indiscriminate nature of the violence. While the footage remains unverified, it has sparked outrage from civil society groups and international observers.
The civil war in Sudan, pitting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against the country’s military, has spiraled into an all-encompassing humanitarian disaster. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost, and more than half of Darfur’s 10 million residents have been displaced.
The situation in North Darfur has been particularly dire. The RSF’s months-long siege on key towns and refugee camps has disrupted trade and aid routes, plunging communities into famine-like conditions. A UN-backed report earlier this year confirmed that famine had gripped a major refugee camp in North Darfur due to restricted access to food and supplies.
The attack on Kabkabiya is part of what human rights groups are calling an “escalation campaign”. Recent strikes across Sudan have disproportionately targeted densely populated residential areas, contradicting claims by both the RSF and the Sudanese army that their operations focus solely on military objectives.
The Emergency Lawyers condemned the airstrike in Kabkabiya as a “horrendous massacre,” echoing concerns over similar incidents in other regions, including Nyala in South Darfur and North Kordofan. In North Kordofan, a crashed drone exploded on Monday, killing six civilians.
Both warring factions have faced accusations of atrocities, including the deliberate bombing of civilian areas and using hunger as a weapon of war.
The scale of the crisis has drawn sharp rebukes from international organizations. Last week, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called for immediate global intervention, warning that nearly 26 million people in Sudan—half the country’s population—are at risk of starvation.
“These numbers are staggering, and we cannot turn our backs,” Fletcher said. His statement highlighted the plight of refugees who shared harrowing stories of violence, displacement, and deprivation during his recent visit to the region.
As Sudan continues to reel under the weight of war, incidents like the Kabkabiya airstrike serve as a grim reminder of the human cost of this conflict. The global community faces mounting pressure to step in and provide meaningful solutions to halt the violence and deliver humanitarian aid to those in need.
The tragedy at Kabkabiya is not just a loss for Sudan but a stark call to action for humanity.
