UNICEF says five children were reportedly killed in Nyala market attack

At least five children were reportedly killed and two more injured when an armed drone struck a market in Nyala, in Sudan’s South Darfur region, on 26 October 2026, according to a statement issued by UNICEF three days later. The agency said the five children were aged between seven and 14 and included three boys and two girls. The figures are reported casualties, not a finding independently established by this publication. UNICEF did not identify a perpetrator in its statement, and responsibility should not be inferred from the type of weapon used.

The UN children’s agency described the attack as part of a wider pattern of increasing danger to civilians at everyday gathering places. It referred to another reported drone strike at a busy market in Abyei on 19 October, where at least 80 people, including women and children, were reportedly killed. Those figures also remain attributed to UNICEF’s account.

Between January and September 2026, more than 400 children were reported killed or injured in Sudan, the agency said, with armed drone attacks responsible for a significant share of the casualties. Schools, hospitals, water facilities, homes and markets have also suffered damage. UNICEF called for the killing and injury of children to end and stressed the need to protect civilians after more than three years of conflict. The statement highlights a basic humanitarian concern: places where families buy food or seek essential services have become dangerous.