The Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR) strongly condemns the Sudanese Army Air Force’s airstrike on Al-Zarq, North Darfur, on Thursday, October 2, 2025. The brutal attach, which targeted Al-Zarq market, which was crowded with civilians, resulted in in the deaths of dozens of innocent civilians, among them women and children. These relentless assaults have caused widespread destruction and deep suffering, leaving civilians in a state of fear, mourning, and despair.
This brutal and indiscriminate targeting of civilian infrastructure is a clear violation of international humanitarian law. The continued bombardment of populated areas violates the Geneva Conventions (1949) and their Additional Protocols, which prohibit attacks on civilian structures. It also breaches the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which classifies such acts as war crimes and crimes against humanity. These persistent and systematic attacks on civilians must not go unpunished.
The situation on the ground is catastrophic. Reports from SAR and eyewitness accounts describe bodies lying scattered throughout the area, abandoned in the rubble of what were once homes, offices, and places of refuge. The air is thick with the cries of the wounded and the grief of those who have lost everything. Al-Zarq remains trapped in terror, held hostage by a campaign of destruction that spares no one. Human rights advocates have rightfully described these attacks as a full-fledged war crime, and activists have condemned them as a deliberate targeting of civilians and an unprecedented massacre.
We call on the international community to take immediate and decisive action to halt these atrocities. The Sudanese air force must be banned from targeting civilian areas, and those responsible for these crimes must face accountability before international courts. Failure to act will only embolden the perpetrators and deepen the suffering of innocent civilians.
SAR stands in unwavering solidarity with the people of Al-Zarq and all Sudanese civilians affected by this merciless violence. We reaffirm our commitment to seeking justice, accountability, and the protection of human rights in Sudan.
Sudanese Alliance for Rights
October 2, 2025
