The attack on Al-Zurq market has drawn sharp condemnation across Sudan and renewed questions about the widening use of foreign-supplied weapons in the country's war.
Eyewitnesses said the strike hit the market at its busiest hour. when vendors and shoppers from across the state had gathered.
Survivors described the assault as targeted and racially motivated, deepening fears in a region scarred by years of ethnic violence.
Sudanese groups including the United Civil Forces Alliance (Qimam), the National Human Rights Observatory, and the Foundational Sudan Alliance (Ta'sis) condemned the attack.
They said Turkish-made Akıncı drones, produced by Baykar, were used. All three organizations demanded accountability for those behind the strike.
The Sudanese army has relied on drone warfare in Darfur and Kordofan. It denies hitting civilian areas. Yet marketplaces, hospitals, and homes have been repeatedly bombed.
The gap between official statements and civilian suffering continues to widen.
The groups went further, pledging to hold not only Sudanese commanders but also Baykar itself responsible.
They cited company executives Haluk and Selçuk Bayraktar by name, reflecting growing pressure on international arms suppliers linked to the war.
The Washington Post reported earlier this year that Baykar secretly delivered at least $120 million worth of drones and missiles to Sudan in 2024.
Evidence included text messages, recordings, and financial documents. The shipments, according to the report, were supervised directly inside Sudan.
This strike follows a legal push at the International Criminal Court.
The Sudanese Rights Alliance filed a case last week, accusing senior army commanders of war crimes. Rights groups say aerial strikes on civilian areas fit a consistent pattern of abuses.
Western powers have already responded with sanctions. The United States targeted Sudan's army, the Islamist Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Battalion, and Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim. The European Union sanctioned the Sudanese Air Force and extended the measures through 2026.
For civilians in Darfur, these actions have yet to change daily reality. The war, which erupted in April 2023, continues to devastate communities.
Each strike, like the one on Al-Zurq, reinforces the sense of abandonment among survivors.
The attack is not an isolated event. It is another chapter in a conflict that has systematically eroded civilian life.
Markets, homes, and hospitals are now recurring battlegrounds, leaving little space untouched by violence.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/drone-strike-on-north-darfur-market-sparks-outcry-and-condemnation
