Sudan: Military Group Accused of Massacring 300 Civilians in North Kordofan

A coalition of Sudanese human rights lawyers has accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out deadly attacks on villages in North Kordofan, killing nearly 300 civilians, including women and children, and razing homes.

The allegations come amid an intensifying civil conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese military that has gripped the country since 2023.

The group, known as Emergency Lawyers, released a statement late Monday detailing what they described as a series of brutal assaults over the weekend in areas surrounding the city of Bara, which is under RSF control.

According to the lawyers, the paramilitary group attacked multiple villages on Saturday, leaving a trail of destruction and mass casualties.

One of the most horrifying incidents reportedly occurred in the village of Shag Alnom, where more than 200 people were killed.

Victims were said to have either been burned alive in their homes or shot, suggesting a premeditated massacre.

In neighboring villages, another 38 civilians were reportedly killed, and many others have gone missing.

They are believed to have been forcibly taken by the RSF.

Emergency Lawyers further claimed that on Sunday, the RSF committed yet another atrocity in the village of Hilat Hamid, killing at least 46 individuals, including pregnant women and children.

“These attacks targeted civilian populations in areas where there were no military installations or combatants,” the group said.

It stressed that this amounted to a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

Responsibility, they asserted, lies directly with the RSF’s leadership.

These allegations have emerged as the Sudanese civil war continues to divide the nation.

The regular army now holds sway over central and eastern parts of Sudan, while the RSF is seeking to entrench its dominance in the west, particularly in North Kordofan and the Darfur region.

The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the surge in violence in and around Shag Alnom and al-Kordi has displaced more than 3,000 people.

Most have fled to safer areas near Bara, according to the agency.

The RSF has been widely accused of committing atrocities throughout the ongoing conflict.

The United States and various international human rights groups have charged the group with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide.

These include violent raids and systematic looting in territories under RSF control.

In response to mounting criticism, RSF leadership has stated that individuals responsible for crimes will be held accountable.

However, such pledges have done little to stem the growing list of documented abuses or convince observers of genuine accountability.

The war in Sudan has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.

Over 13 million people have been displaced, while more than half the country’s population now suffers from acute hunger.

The spread of disease, including deadly outbreaks of cholera, has worsened conditions dramatically.

The death toll from the war is estimated at around 40,000.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken notice, launching a new investigation into potential war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

Last Thursday, senior ICC prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan addressed the UN Security Council, revealing that her office had collected substantial evidence pointing to ongoing atrocities.

Khan said her team had focused on West Darfur, where they interviewed numerous survivors who had fled to neighboring Chad.

The evidence, she stated, points to the deliberate targeting of civilians and critical infrastructure such as hospitals and humanitarian supply routes.

She warned that famine is spreading, and attacks on aid convoys have severely hindered relief efforts.

“Rape and sexual violence are being used as weapons of war,” Khan told the Security Council.

“People are being abducted for ransom, denied access to food and clean water, and are living in conditions of unimaginable suffering.”

As the conflict deepens, calls are growing louder for international accountability, humanitarian access, and renewed diplomatic pressure to end the violence and prevent further atrocities.

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