21 Civilians Killed in strikes on Tina, Kornoi Markets in North Darfur

May 25, Tina, Kornoi — At least 21 civilians were killed and dozens wounded over two days in drone strikes carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting markets in the North Darfur towns of Al-Tina and Kornoi, local sources said Monday.

Local sources told Sudan Tribune that an RSF drone struck Kornoi’s market on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding four others with serious injuries. More than ten shops were completely destroyed in the attack.

On Sunday, 14 civilians were killed in a similar strike on the market of Al-Tina, a border town near Chad, according to activists based in the area.

The strikes come amid a broader RSF offensive launched earlier this year aimed at seizing the Sudanese army’s last remaining footholds in the Darfur region, including Al-Tina, Ombaro, and Kornoi. In March, RSF forces advanced into Al-Tina before the army and its allies repelled them and restored their positions.

The aerial escalation coincides with reports of an unprecedented RSF buildup in the areas of Saraf Omra, Kebkabiya, El Geneina, and Kulbus, in what observers believe is preparation for ground assaults on the Al-Tina, Ombaro, and Kornoi localities along the Chadian border.

Al-Tina holds significant strategic value as a key commercial and humanitarian corridor between Darfur and eastern Chad. The conflict in several border areas has taken on an inter-tribal dimension, reflecting the deep social and kinship ties that cut across the two countries’ shared boundary.

In March, Chadian military authorities launched a disarmament operation targeting civilians along border villages following RSF incursions into Chadian territory and attacks on Chadian army positions.