Sudan airstrikes: Investigation reveals civilian toll
Sudan's air force has killed at least 1,700 civilians through bombings of residential areas, markets, schools, and displacement camps, according to a major investigation into the country's ongoing civil war.
The Sudan Witness Project has compiled what it describes as the largest dataset of military airstrikes in the conflict, which erupted in April 2023. The research reveals systematic use of unguided bombs in densely populated areas by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the only party with operational warplanes in this war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Analyzing 384 airstrikes between April 2023 and July 2025, Sudan Witness documented over 1,700 civilian deaths and 1,120 injuries. These figures are conservative, using the lowest reported numbers. The strikes hit 135 residential areas, 35 markets and commercial facilities, and 19 sites including hospitals, schools, and camps for displaced people.
Mark Snoeck, who led the project, notes that while the RSF faces international condemnation for ethnic massacres in Darfur—triggering US genocide charges—the SAF's actions also warrant accountability. The military denies targeting civilians, claiming strikes focus solely on legitimate RSF military targets.
Sudan Witness used rigorous verification methods, analyzing open-source digital information including social media videos, satellite imagery, and source credibility assessments. The research identified troubling patterns, including an unguided bomb found in Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur—an area not even under RSF control at the time.
Many documented strikes occurred in Darfur, which the RSF controls. A particularly criticized attack hit a hospital in el-Daein in August 2024, killing 16 civilians including three children. Even rebel groups allied with the SAF condemned this strike's indiscriminate nature.
The city of Nyala in South Darfur faces frequent bombardment. The SAF claims to target military supplies, allegedly including UAE-delivered weapons (which Abu Dhabi denies supplying). However, researchers say the military lacks precision weapons to accurately strike targets in crowded areas. February strikes on Nyala's city center killed at least 63 people, hitting residential neighborhoods and a grocery store.
Marketplace bombings not only kill civilians but devastate economic stability. At least 65 people died in October 2024 when bombs destroyed the al-Kuma market in North Darfur—one of over 30 raids the town has endured since the war began.
Recent months have seen both sides shift toward drone warfare, sometimes targeting civilian populations associated with their opponents. In October, alleged SAF drone strikes hit a social gathering in al-Kuma, while RSF drones and artillery struck a religious displacement center in el-Fasher, killing at least 60 civilians.
A British foreign office official condemned the evidence as showing "clear and unacceptable disregard for the safety of innocent Sudanese civilians," demanding accountability regardless of which side perpetrated the attacks.
Justin Lynch from Conflict Insights Group characterizes Sudan's conflict as "really a war against civilians," noting that neither side has achieved significant military success through aerial operations despite the enormous civilian toll. Both parties stand accused of war crimes in this devastating conflict.