Several prisoners and detainees reportedly escaped from Al-Jallabi prison in East Darfur after a drone strike believed to have been carried out by Sudan’s military damaged the facility’s entrance and perimeter wall, according to local Sudanese media.
The attack occurred on Monday, October 19, at the prison east of El Daein, the capital of East Darfur state, amid a series of aerial bombardments targeting locations across the city.
Security sources cited by local Sudanese media said the drone struck guards stationed at the prison entrance, destroying part of the surrounding wall and allowing an unspecified number of detainees to flee.
The facility, approximately 20 kilometres east of El Daein, reportedly held hundreds of prisoners, including individuals facing criminal charges and others detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The exact number of escapees remains unknown, and the circumstances surrounding the incident could not be independently verified.
Separate reports from Sudanese army-aligned outlets described a larger escape involving prisoners and detainees. However, claims that all inmates had fled could not be independently confirmed.
The prison strike coincided with additional drone attacks against alleged military positions in central, eastern and southeastern El Daein.
Medical sources reported that at least five people were killed and approximately 20 others wounded in the bombardments, including civilians. Several injured people were reportedly in critical condition.
Witnesses described hearing powerful explosions in rapid succession from the eastern outskirts of the city, near the prison complex.
Residents also reported seeing a drone repeatedly circling above El Daein before launching its attacks.
Following the bombardment, RSF personnel reportedly sealed off areas surrounding the prison and other targeted locations, restricting civilian movement and preventing residents from approaching the affected sites.
Sources close to Sudan’s military separately acknowledged that the prison and other facilities in El Daein had been targeted, according to Radio Dabanga.
The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) also accused Sudan’s military of conducting a deadly strike on a restaurant in the city on Monday, reporting 19 civilian deaths and 21 injuries.
Those casualty figures differ from the medical sources’ account of five deaths and 20 injuries during attacks on alleged military positions. It remains unclear whether the reports concern separate strikes or overlapping incidents.
The latest attacks come amid intensifying drone warfare across Sudan, raising renewed concerns over civilian casualties and the safety of detention facilities in conflict-affected areas.
