At least 150 people, including 35 children, are feared dead in a massacre in central Sudan, allegedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group clashing with the army for over 13 months.
The RSF has yet to comment on these allegations but claimed on Thursday to have attacked two army positions.
Footage from Wednesday’s attack, shared by activists from a neighborhood resistance committee in Wad al-Nourah, Gezira state, shows dozens of bodies wrapped in white shrouds ready for burial.
These committees, part of a nationwide network advocating for civilian rule, are now awaiting an official count of the dead and injured.
Unicef reported that 35 children were killed and over 20 injured in the attack. Catherine Russell, Unicef’s executive director, described the situation as “devastating,” emphasizing the severe impact on Sudanese children who are “paying the price for the brutal violence.”
According to Russell, thousands of children have been killed or injured over the past year, with more than five million displaced and others subjected to abduction and rape.
The exact circumstances of Wednesday’s killings are unclear, with reports suggesting the village was attacked twice by RSF fighters.
Hafiz Mohamad from Justice Africa Sudan told the media that many people remain missing and that it is “difficult to count all the dead” as RSF elements are still present and looting in the area.
Sudan’s military government has called for international condemnation of the Wad al-Nourah attack.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron condemned the “assault on innocent people” in a post on X, blaming the RSF and stating, “The world is watching. Those responsible will be held to account.”
Since taking control of Gezira state in December, the RSF has been accused of numerous abuses against civilians, which it denies.
Meanwhile, fierce battles continue between the RSF and the military in El Fasher, a city in Darfur.
The conflict, which began in April 2023 when the two generals leading the army and RSF fell out, has resulted in over 15,000 deaths and sparked the world’s largest displacement crisis, with millions facing severe hunger.
Martin Griffiths, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, stated that up to five million people are at high risk of famine, describing the conflict as avoidable and the result of two men deciding to resolve their differences through fighting, thereby devastating their country.
Source-BBC
