Alaa El-Din Nugd: Targeting civilians in markets aims to turn the war into an ethnic conflict

​Dr. Alaa El-Din Nugd, Minister of Health in the Peace Government, affirmed that the Doumaya market massacre left behind more than (200) civilian dead, in a new massacre committed by the Islamic Movement militia against civilians in the city of Nyala, at the "Tangoong" market in the densely populated Doumaya neighborhood, via a drone at approximately 8:00 to 8:30 PM on Monday, October 26, 2026 AD.

​The Minister of Health stated in press remarks that the initial death toll of the massacre reached (102) martyrs and (113) injured, before the numbers rose due to the severity of the injuries. ​The minister added that emergency teams moved immediately to the scene of the incident, while the city's hospitals received large numbers of the injured who were distributed to various health facilities, where medical and health cadres performed first aid and urgent surgical operations.

​The ministry confirmed in a previous statement that the number of martyrs later rose to more than (200) martyrs, of whom (188) have been documented, with a number of missing persons not yet counted, while the number of injured reached (356) wounded, some of whom remain in intensive care units in critical condition.

​The ministry pointed out that the health sector, despite the significant recovery it witnessed during the transitional Peace Government period, is facing massive pressure due to the recurrence of such crimes, praising the dedication of the medical and health cadres who worked around the clock to save the casualties.

​In a statement, the Ministry of Health also praised the role of partners from humanitarian organizations who arrived at the scene and hospitals, providing medical supplies and personnel, noting that the Dutch organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) launched an appeal to increase the presence and supplies of other organizations, which contributed to the response in facing the massacre.

​Alaa El-Din Nugd considered that targeting defenseless civilians with drones, and the preceding attack north of Al-Wadi weeks ago, reveals an attempt to turn the war into an ethnic conflict and push the Founding Alliance forces to retaliate by targeting civilians, emphasizing that these attempts will not succeed.

​The Minister of Health called on the regional and international community to take serious action to deter this group and ensure the protection of civilians, considering what is happening to be a fully-fledged war crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.