Sudan gov reports 58 dead in RSF attack on North Kordofan villages

The death toll from a paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attack on villages west of Bara in North Kordofan’s Azhaf area, has risen to at least 58 after residents discovered the bodies of 27 missing people on Saturday, local authorities reported.

The victims disappeared during the attack on the villages of El Marra, Umm Saadoun El Sharif and El Rada on the second day of Eid El Adha and were later found dead.

Local sources said RSF fighters launched the assault on Thursday using around 20 combat vehicles. The attack initially left more than 30 civilians dead and dozens injured.

The General Union of the Dar Hamid said local fighters responded to the attack, warning that tensions remain high and could escalate further.

The Sudan Doctors Network confirmed the attack and said RSF forces targeted civilian villages west of Bara. Network spokesperson Tasneem El Amin told Radio Dabanga that the villages contained no military presence and described the attack as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

‘Growing condemnation’

Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation condemned the attack, describing it as part of a continuing pattern of violations against civilians.

The ministry accused the RSF of targeting unarmed citizens and appealed to the United Nations, African Union and international human rights organisations to hold those responsible accountable and strengthen civilian protection.

The National Umma Party also condemned the attack, saying it formed part of a broader pattern of violence, looting and intimidation in Bara and western Bara localities. The party renewed its call for all armed actors to withdraw from populated areas and comply with international humanitarian law.

‘Drone strike kills civilians in West Kordofan’

The Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees), the Emergency Lawyers group and the National Umma Party condemned a drone strike on two civilian vehicles travelling on the Abu Zabad-El Fula road in West Kordofan on Saturday.

The groups said the attack killed ten civilians, including eight children and two women, and injured four others. Emergency Lawyers said the victims had fled fighting in Abu Karshola in South Kordofan and were displaced in the Kadam area when they were targeted. 

They stressed that the strike took place in a civilian area with no military activity and warned of the growing threat posed by attacks on displaced people and civilian transport routes.

‘Tasees governor accuses Islamist movement’

Hamad Mohamed Hamed, governor of the Kordofan region in the Tasees administration, accused the Islamic Movement of attempting to inflame tribal tensions and draw Kordofan into a wider civil war by mobilising members of the Dar Hamid community to fight alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces.

He urged residents not to respond to calls for mobilisation and warned against allowing the conflict to evolve into a broader tribal war.