Sudan’s air force has carried out bombings in which at least 1,700 civilians have died in attacks on residential neighbourhoods, markets, schools and camps for displaced people, according to an investigation into air raids in the country’s civil war.
The Sudan Witness Project says it has compiled the largest known dataset of military airstrikes in the conflict, which began in April 2023.
Its analysis indicates that the air force has used unguided bombs in populated areas.
The data focuses on attacks by warplanes, which only the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) is capable of operating. Its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) does not have aircraft. It launches drone strikes, but drones were excluded from the research.
The RSF has been internationally condemned for allegedly carrying out ethnic massacres in Sudan’s western Darfur region, triggering charges of genocide by the United States.
“The RSF are being held responsible for a lot of damage and violations, and I think rightly so,” says Mark Snoeck, who ran the project. “But I think the SAF should also be held accountable for their actions.”
The military has also faced international criticism, accused of indiscriminate bombings.
The SAF did not respond to a BBC request for comment. But it has previously denied allegations of targeting civilians, saying its airstrikes are “directed solely at RSF gatherings, locations and bases recognized as legitimate military targets”.
Sudan Witness is an initiative by the Center for Information Resilience (CIR), a non-profit group which works to expose human rights violations. It received funding from the British foreign ministry for this project.
According to an advance copy of the report obtained by the BBC, Sudan Witness analysed 384 airstrikes conducted between April 2023 and July 2025.
