Sudan: At least 100 civilians killed by Sudanese Armed Forces air strike on El Fasher market, North Darfur

On Tuesday 25th March, an air strike carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) targeted the Tura market, 45km north of El Fasher, in North Darfur state, killing at least 100 civilians and injuring at least 17 more.

According to Adam Rejal, a spokesperson for General Coordination, a local group helping displaced people in Darfur, more than half of those killed were women. The official casualty toll is yet to be confirmed, with media sources citing the number killed as ranging from 54 to 270.

The Darfur Victims Support Organisation (DVS), a local group who researches and supports victims of the conflict, stated the market acts as a vital commercial hub for civilians in the surrounding areas, and therefore was heavily crowded at the time of the attack. DVS referred to the the attack as ‘deliberate and systematic’.

The current civil war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, between the Sudanese military (SAF) and paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and has continued to spread across the country, causing huge civilian harm and displacement. Sudan is now one of the world’s major conflicts, with AOAV recording consistently high civilian casualty tolls per incident.

Sudan’s conflict has intensified drastically over the past year, with 2024 being the deadliest year for civilians documented by AOAV since our records began in 2010.

In 2024, AOAV recorded 4,478 civilians killed and injured as a result of explosive violence, this is a 70% increase from 2023. 98% of casualties recorded in 2024 were civilians, 98% of which were recorded in populated areas.

In 2024, air launched weapons accounted for 51% (2,338) of civilian casualties, and ground launched weapons accounted for 46% (2,107). The use of such weapons in populated areas such as villages, towns and cities, means that civilians are likely to be harmed as a result. In 2024, 21.3 civilians were killed or injured per explosive incident recorded.

Non-state actors, specifically the RSF, accounted for 49% of civilian casualties in 2024, and state actors, specifically the SAF, accounted for 39% of civilian casualties.

So far, within the first three months of 2025, AOAV has already recorded 1,926 casualties as a result of explosive violence in Sudan, over 99% (1,925) of which are civilians.

Below illustrates the regions most impacted by explosive violence in terms of civilian casualties since 2023.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated that both ‘the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as their respective allies, were found to be responsible for patterns of large-scale violations, including indiscriminate and direct attacks carried out through airstrikes and shelling against civilians, schools, hospitals, communication networks and vital water and electricity supplies.’

The United States government also stated on 7 January 2025, that it had determined the RSF had committed genocide in Darfur during the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Despite this decision by Washington and reports that civilians have been returning to their homes in certain parts of the country, the harm to civilians in terms of death, injury, displacement, hunger, and lack of access to basic necessities continues to be hugely prevalent.

Edem Wosornu, on behalf of UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, in a briefing to the Security Council stated:

“This is a humanitarian crisis that is unprecedented in its scale and gravity, and it is a crisis that is increasingly crossing Sudan’s borders. The international community – in particular members of the [Security] Council – must spare no effort to mitigate this.”

It is of paramount importance that the international community works together to bring an end to this conflict, and ensures peace and stability is restored in Sudan. The ongoing suffering of the Sudanese people must be at the forefront of all diplomatic efforts in relation to the conflict. AOAV reiterates its condemnation of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and urges the cessation of such weapon use immediately.