At least 21 civilians have been killed and dozens injured in drone strikes targeting markets in the North Darfur towns of Al-Tina and Kornoi, amid escalating clashes between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to local sources, an RSF drone struck a market in Kornoi on Monday, May 25, killing at least five people and seriously injuring four others. The attack also destroyed more than 10 shops.
A day earlier, 14 civilians were reportedly killed in a similar strike on the market in Al-Tina, a border town near Chad, according to local activists.
The attacks come as the RSF intensifies its campaign to seize the Sudanese army’s remaining strongholds in the Darfur region, including Al-Tina, Ombaro and Kornoi. Although RSF fighters briefly advanced into Al-Tina in March, government forces and allied groups later regained control of the town.
The latest aerial attacks coincide with reports of a significant RSF military build-up in Saraf Omra, Kebkabiya, El Geneina and Kulbus. Observers believe the deployments could signal preparations for new ground offensives in border areas along Chad.
Al-Tina is considered strategically important because it serves as a major commercial and humanitarian corridor linking Darfur with eastern Chad. The conflict in the border region has also taken on an inter-communal dimension, reflecting longstanding ethnic and family ties that span both sides of the frontier.
In March, Chadian authorities launched a disarmament operation in border communities following RSF incursions into Chadian territory and attacks on Chadian military positions.