Four people were injured and several shops were destroyed in a drone strike attributed to the Sudanese army on a market in El Daein, the capital of East Darfur state, on Wednesday evening.
East Darfur has been under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since the early months of the war between the group and the Sudanese army, which began in April 2023.
The injured sustained varying degrees of injuries and were taken to El Daein Hospital for treatment.
Trader Faisal Adam Habib told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that a Sudanese army drone struck the market on Wednesday night, destroying several shops.
“The bombing hit commercial shops that had no connection to military operations,” Habib said.
“The drone attack hit the spare parts shop next to my shop. I have been working here in El Daein market for a long time. The shop that was destroyed had nothing to do with the military. The owner is just an ordinary trader, and this attack has affected us as traders in the market,” he said.
Al-Sadiq Ahmed Abu Sinaya, head of the East Darfur Chamber of Commerce, condemned the attack on the town’s markets, saying the strike had damaged commercial premises and injured four civilians.
“It is unfortunate that the Sudanese army attacked the market with drones, and we hope those wounded will recover. The attack has caused damage to the market and shops,” he said.
“This will definitely affect business in the area, and this is a clear violation of human rights because the attacks target civilian sites. We urge the international community to stop these attacks so that people can talk peace,” he said.
He said attacks on markets constitute a serious violation of human rights and disrupte commercial activities that provide livelihoods for a large number of residents.
Abu Sinaya called on the international community to intensify efforts to halt attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Mashaer Mohamed al-Nourein, information and culture minister in the RSF-aligned East Darfur state government, told Radio Tamazuj that a drone operated by the Sudanese army struck El Daein at about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
She said the strike hit the main market, damaging shops belonging to civilians who had no links to the RSF.
Al-Nourein called on the international community to protect civilians, markets and public facilities.
“The attacks targeted specific shops in the El Daein Grand Market, which is a civilian site that has nothing to do with the military or the RSF. These attacks are deliberate and affect infrastructure and civilian sites, which is against international humanitarian law,” she said.
The Sudanese army could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to reports, the Sudanese army struck El Daein 18 times between March 2025 and October 2026, killing dozens of people.
The latest strike comes amid Sudan’s ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which has caused widespread displacement, civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure across the country.
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