An airstrike by the Sudanese Armed Forces on Wednesday night targeted areas around the 16th Infantry Division in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday morning, several eyewitnesses said the bombing partially destroyed Nyala Bridge (Wadi Burley Bridge), which connects the southern part of the city to its north. They pointed out that no casualties were reported after Wednesday’s airstrike.
Tariq Makki Didan, a local civil society activist, told Radio Tamazuj that the airstrike in Nyala coincided with the anniversary of the beginning of the war in South Darfur state on the 24th of last Ramadan. “The latest attack came as a surprise to us in Nyala. The airstrike targeted the bridge, which the citizens use. I remember last time the airstrike targeted schools and health facilities. Our appeal is that innocent civilians and infrastructure should not be targeted,” he said.
Tariq revealed that the bombing has partially destroyed the bridge linking the south of Nyala with the northern parts, pointing out that it is the only bridge connecting both sides of Nyala City.
Dedan decried “the systematic airstrikes targeting innocent citizens, physical infrastructure and public utilities in South Darfur State.”
For her part, a medical doctor at Nyala Teaching Hospital, Suzan Shukri, revealed that an airstrike near the hospital caused fear and panic among the medical staff and patients.
Suzan explained that as a result of the aerial bombardment, the ceiling of the obstetrics and gynaecology ward collapsed, and some patients admitted to the hospital escaped, especially from the children’s wards.
“We are suffering and are fed up with this situation. Let this senseless war stop,” she appealed.
Shawqi Abdullah Muhammad, a resident of the Moseh neighbourhood south of Nyala, denounced airstrikes targeting the city, especially its infrastructure. He added that the partially destroyed bridge is the only bridge serving the town.
“The airstrike on Wednesday night targeting Nyala has caused fear and panic among the innocent residents. We condemn airstrikes targeting the infrastructure because it could cause a lot of suffering to the citizens,” he said.
The airstrike by the Sudanese army on Wednesday night came after three months of relative stability that the city of Nyala witnessed.
South Darfur has been under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since October last year.
The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began battling each other in mid-April last year as tensions over plans for a new political transition.
The conflict has driven nearly 8.5 million people from their homes, creating the world’s biggest displacement crisis, pushed parts of the 49-million population close to famine, and triggered waves of ethnically driven killings and sexual violence in the western region of Darfur.
About 13,900 people have been killed since the fighting broke out, according to data recorded by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.