On Monday March 24, 2025, around 2 pm, a Sudanese army warplane launched airstrikes targeting the weekly market in Tora, located 40 kilometers north of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. The attack set fire to shops and caused severe casualties, with multiple bodies burned beyond recognition.
This satellite image depicts the Tora Market, located approximately 40 km from El Fasher, North Darfur, which was directly hit by an airstrike. The red-marked zone indicates the impact site, where vendors and civilians were gathered during peak trading hours
A medical source at Mellit Rural Hospital confirmed that several wounded individuals arrived in critical condition, requiring urgent surgical intervention. The lack of medical supplies and essential medicines has further exacerbated their suffering.
Tribal leader Ishaq Ibrahim Sharif reported an increase in the death toll after recovering more charred bodies. The initial count stood at 61 dead, while more than 200 injured individuals were transferred to hospitals in El Fasher, Mellit, Kabkabiya, and Saraf Omra for treatment. The number of victims is expected to rise, as several bodies remain unidentified.
Videos circulated on social media showed the devastating impact of the airstrike on the market, capturing burning shops and severely burned bodies.
The Darfur Network for Human Rights obtained testimony from a survivor of the Tora Market airstrike:
“The market was bustling with life, mothers carrying their children, elderly men selling vegetables, and people going about their daily business. Then, without warning, we heard the deafening roar of a plane overhead. Within seconds, everything went dark. The air was thick with dust and the cries of the wounded. Bodies lay scattered across the ground. I saw my neighbor’s son take his last breath right in front of me. The pain and horror were unbearable. I was lucky to survive, though I suffered injuries to my arm and leg. But why? We are not fighters. We are just ordinary people struggling to live. Why are they bombing us?”
(Aisha, 37, a resident of Tora and survivor of the airstrike).
Image shows the devastating aftermath of the airstrike on Tora Market
The Emergency Lawyers human rights group condemned the airstrike, describing it as an indiscriminate massacre that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and left dozens seriously wounded.
In a statement, the group asserted that the bombing of a densely populated civilian area constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and may amounts to a systematic war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The statement further emphasized that such massacres reflect a deliberate pattern of targeting civilians, underscoring the urgent need for accountability. The group called for an independent investigation to ensure that those responsible are prosecuted before international courts.
Additionally, the group demanded urgent legal measures to halt further military attacks on civilians, impose sanctions on perpetrators, and bring those responsible for ordering and executing the airstrike to justice.
Holding the Sudanese Armed Forces fully responsible, the Emergency Lawyers affirmed their commitment to documenting these violations, advocating for justice, and ensuring redress for victims while upholding the principle of non-impunity.
Darfur Network for Human Rights Condemns Sudanese Army Airstrike on Tora Market
“Targeting civilians in public marketplaces is a grave violation of the laws of war,” said the Executive Director of the Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR). “We call on the United Nations, the African Union, and regional actors to take urgent investigations and concrete measures to protect civilians in Darfur and hold perpetrators accountable.”
The humanitarian situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate, as recurring attacks on displacement camps, residential areas, and marketplaces leave civilians with nowhere safe to go.
