
Darfur24 obtained new details on Sunday regarding the attack on Nyala Airport in South Darfur State, which resulted in the deaths of RSF members and injuries to foreign individuals.
The attack occurred at dawn on Saturday, causing massive explosions at the airport located about 5 kilometers east of the city.
Eyewitnesses told Darfur24 that the strike killed and injured RSF members stationed at the airport. Some of the dead were reportedly on their way out of Sudan for medical treatment, while others were airport security personnel. Some bodies were burned beyond recognition.
RSF supporters mourned several senior figures presumed to have died in the airport attack, posting tributes on social media.
A medical source at the Turkish Hospital in Nyala confirmed the arrival of several injured RSF members in the early hours of the night. Among the wounded were foreigners, believed to be of Arab nationalities.
Sudanese military sources said the attack targeted weapons and fuel depots inside Nyala International Airport.
Other witnesses reported that an aircraft landed on the runway around 8:45 PM and never took off.
Meanwhile, the RSF launched a wide-scale arrest campaign, detaining dozens of civilians, former members of the army, police, and General Intelligence Service, as well as individuals affiliated with the dissolved National Congress Party.
An eyewitness from the “Khartoum By Night” neighborhood in northern Nyala, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the arrests were conducted through home raids and satellite internet hubs (Starlink), noting that some of those detained were former military personnel.
He added, “The arrests were carried out by a security force made up of more than 10 four-wheel drive vehicles, with personnel dressed in civilian clothes and others in military police uniforms.”
Another witness said RSF forces arrested several of their own officers and soldiers in the Tayba neighborhood in eastern Nyala, including members of the federal police. The arrests also extended to the Jabal, Tayba Al-Nil, and Airport neighborhoods.
The RSF has since resumed operations at Nyala Airport. Darfur24 previously verified, in an investigation published on March 27, that 130 aircraft landed at Nyala Airport between September 21, 2024, and March 14, 2025. According to eyewitnesses, former employees, and military sources, these were cargo planes.
The cargo content of these flights remains unclear, though various sources suggest the planes may be transporting weapons and advanced drones to the RSF.