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Sudan Aid Groups Say 54 Killed in an Airstrike Blamed on the Military in Darfur 

Fighters loyal to the army patrol a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
Fighters loyal to the army patrol a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Aid Groups Say 54 Killed in an Airstrike Blamed on the Military in Darfur 

Fighters loyal to the army patrol a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
Fighters loyal to the army patrol a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025. (AFP)

Aid groups in Sudan said on Tuesday at least 54 people were killed in a military airstrike on a local market in the country’s western region.

The strike on Monday on the village of Tora caused a huge fire, according to Adam Rejal, a spokesman for the General Coordination, a local group helping displaced people in Darfur.

Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, a spokesman for the Sudanese military, said civilians had not been targeted, adding the allegations were "incorrect" and "are raised whenever our forces exercise their constitutional and legal right to deal with hostile targets."

The strike tore apart a large part of the weekly market in Tora, which is located 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of el-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur province.

Support Darfur Victims, a local group that provides support to victims of the Darfur conflict, shared graphic video footage appearing to show burnt structures and charred bodies on the ground.

More than half of the dead were women, according to a list of casualties provided by Rejal. At least 23 people were wounded and seven were missing, the list showed.

Rejal said that the strike was "a crime against humanity and a clear violation of all international and humanitarian laws and conventions."

The city of el-Fasher is held by the Sudanese military despite near-daily strikes by the rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

Monday's strike was the latest deadly attack in a war that started in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare across the country.

The war wrecked the capital, and other urban cities across the country. It has killed more than 28,000 people, forced millions to flee their homes and left some families eating grass in a desperate attempt to survive as famine sweeps parts of the country. Other estimates suggest a far higher death toll.

The fighting has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in the western region of Darfur, according to the United Nations and international rights groups.

The military has made steady field advances in recent months against the RSF in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. In March, it regained control of most of the strategic and government buildings in the capital, including the Republican Palace — the seat of the pre-war government.

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Arab World

Iraq and Syria Open ‘New Chapter’ in Ties to Confront ‘Common Challenges’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
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Iraq and Syria Open ‘New Chapter’ in Ties to Confront ‘Common Challenges’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meet in Baghdad on March 14, 2025. (Iraq government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stressed on Tuesday his country’s support to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning the Israeli incursion into its land.

Sudani held telephone talks with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the first between the two leaders since the latter assumed his post in January.

Sudani’s office said he underlined “Iraq’s firm stance in supporting the Syrian people’s choices and the importance that all of Syria’s segments join its political process.”

The process should “ensure peaceful coexistence and security to achieve a secure and stable future for Syria and the whole region,” he added.

He also emphasized the importance of “mutual cooperation in confronting the threat of ISIS,” as well as cooperation in economic fields.

Since the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria in December, Iraqi authorities have imposed strict measures along the border with Syria to bar the infiltration of gunmen and ISIS members.

The Syrian presidency said Sudani and Sharaa discussed bilateral relations between their countries and means to bolster them in various fields. They also underscored the “depth of relations between their people and economy.”

They stressed the importance of opening a new chapter in bilateral ties based on joint cooperation to confront regional challenges and prevent tensions in the region.

They discussed border security and cooperation in combating drug smuggling.

Sharaa said Syria is “committed to developing bilateral relations and respecting Iraq’s sovereignty.” He expressed “keenness on refraining in meddling in its internal affairs, stressing the need for cooperation to confront common challenges and consolidating political ties” between their countries.

Sudani also welcomed the formation of the new Syrian government, which was announced on Saturday.

Forces within Iraq’s ruling pro-Iran Coordination Framework were opposed to establishing relations with the new Syrian authorities, led by Sharaa, that ousted the Assad regime.

An Iraqi source said the talks between Sudani and Sharaa helped “break the ice and tensions after a series of positive measures taken by the Syrian authorities to ease Iraqi concerns.”

Baghdad has been wary of the new authorities and has been hesitant in approaching them due to security concerns and the fears of the possible re-emergence of the ISIS terrorist group in the region.

However, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani's visit to Baghdad in March where he met with Sudani helped break the ice.

During the visit, Baghdad urged the new Syrian rulers to “take into consideration Syria’s religious and ethnic diversity and to exert efforts in protecting religious freedoms and fighting terrorism,” revealed a source close to the Iraqi government.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sudani and Sharaa stressed during their call keenness on developing ties between their countries after Syria’s assurances that it would respect diversity and forge ahead with serious dialogue with various segments.

Prominent Sunni Iraqi politician Khamis al-Khanjar criticized the “voices that have been skeptical and opposed to rapprochement between Iraq and Syria.”

In a statement on Tuesday, he said Sudani and Sharaa’s telephone call should be praised, underlining his support for steps taken by the Iraqi government to be open to the Arab world and reclaim its sovereign voice.