In Sudan, dozens killed in an air strike on the Badiyat al-Zarq market

Local residents told the Al-Sayha newspaper that Turkish drones belonging to the “Islamic Movement Army” attacked the market, which was full of civilians.

Witnesses confirmed to the newspaper that “there were no military targets in the market.” They added that “the bombing killed dozens of women, children, and merchants and completely destroyed the market, which was built with local materials (straw).”

They also noted that the al-Zarq market brings together dozens of vendors from various communities and areas in northern Darfur.

The Sudanese Human Rights Observatory reported that, according to several testimonies, the attack “completely destroyed the market and caused panic and terror among the local population.”

The observatory added that the bombing constitutes “a flagrant violation of the principles of international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and obliges the parties to the conflict to take all necessary measures to protect the civilian population.” It condemned the attack, which “killed and injured dozens of civilians, including women and children.”

Widespread condemnation and outrage

Among the main reactions, the Government of the Sudanese Founding Alliance stated:

“In continuation of its crimes against the people of Sudan, on Thursday, October 2, 2025, the army of the terrorist Islamic Movement perpetrated an atrocious massacre using Turkish Akıncı drones, which attacked civilians in the market in the al-Zarq area of North Darfur state, killing and injuring dozens, mostly women and children.”

In an official statement, the government condemned “the horrific crime committed against innocent civilians in an area where there is no military presence.” It stated that “the attack on civilians is part of a plan of genocide and ethnic cleansing crimes perpetrated by the ‘terrorist army.’”

It called on the international community, regional organizations, and human rights bodies to “condemn these atrocious massacres committed against innocent people in Darfur and Kordofan, which constitute full-fledged war crimes, as well as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Legal prosecution

The government assured that it “will not remain silent in the face of these crimes” and that it “will legally prosecute the criminals and those responsible for these atrocities, including the Turkish company Baykar, which is majority-owned by the Bayraktar family: Haluk Bayraktar (Lütfü Haluk Bayraktar) is its CEO, while Selçuk Bayraktar chairs the board of directors.”

Meanwhile, on September 25, the Sudanese Alliance for Human Rights announced that it had filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court against four senior leaders of the authority in Port Sudan for serious violations against civilians during the war and for the use of chemical weapons.

The lawsuit is directed against Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Yasser al-Atta, Shams al-Din al-Kabbashi, and General al-Tahir Mohamed. The organization explained that it is working with a team of international lawyers and that the evidence provided requires the opening of an investigation and the prosecution of the accused for these crimes.

It also announced that it has filed an official complaint with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights for these violations and the use of chemical weapons, and another with the president of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.