October was the deadliest month in incidents of violence targeting civilians in Sudan since the start of the fratricidal war between the military and paramilitaries in April 2023, according to an AFP analysis of data from the NGO ACLED.
The group, which tracks victims of conflicts worldwide, documented a record 1,545 deaths last month.
- Nigeria’s spy agency DSS says fired 115 staff in months
- Ronaldo reveals emotional retirement will come ‘soon’
It registered 3,000 casualties in total, a little below the previous high of 3,240, set in October 2024 when paramilitaries intensified attacks in the central Al-Jazira State. Some 966 were killed that month in incidents of violence targeting civilians.
ACLED compiles its casualty count by gathering data from various selected sources it considers reliable, including media, various institutions and local partners.
Since mid-April 2023, the NGO has documented nearly 49,800 deaths in Sudan, including almost 15,300 in attacks targeting civilians, although the toll is not considered exhaustive as many victims remain uncounted.
Half of the deaths were recorded in the North Darfur and Khartoum regions (approximately 14,000 and 11,200 respectively).
A few hundred were recorded in the disputed Abyei region, claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan.
The war has also displaced millions and triggered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world at the moment, according to the UN.
The war, pitting the army that controls the east and north of the country against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF, paramilitary), which now controls all of Darfur, has torn the country apart since it broke out on April 15, 2023.
After an 18-month siege, the RSF captured El-Fasher on May 26, the last major city in Darfur (western Sudan) that had remained outside its control.
ACLED recorded 2,176 deaths, including 1,385 in attacks targeting civilians, in El-Fasher and the surrounding areas in October.
The NGO warned that the toll could rise in the coming weeks due to communication difficulties related to the conflict.
More than 2,000 civilians were killed in the city at the end of October, according to other sources linked to the pro-military government.
The use of drones has also increased, with more than 700 attacks using the craft recorded in the first ten months of 2025, three times more than in 2023.
Of those, 341 were purely aerial, without ground combat involved. Attacks involving drones have caused nearly 1,900 deaths in total, including more than 1,400 in 2025.
AFP