A Sudanese army airstrike on Wednesday hit a government ministry building in El Daein, the capital of East Darfur state, injuring dozens of employees and civilians, according to officials from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controls the city.

The strike sparked panic in the city. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a high-altitude aircraft, likely a drone, launch missiles that caused powerful explosions and sent plumes of smoke into the air.

In a statement, Mashaer Mohamed al-Nourein, a spokeswoman for the RSF’s civilian administration, said the strike caused the “complete destruction” of the Ministry of Urban Planning. She condemned the attack as a “brutal” act targeting civilian infrastructure and called on the international community to pressure the army to stop.

East Darfur has been under RSF control since the early months of the war that erupted between the paramilitary group and Sudan’s army in April 2023. The RSF has established its own civilian administrations in territories it holds.

El Daein is a stronghold of the Rizeigat Arab tribe, from which the RSF’s leadership and many of its fighters are drawn. The city has faced similar army airstrikes, including one in March that hit the main local government headquarters used by the RSF to manage civilian affairs.