Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed nearly 300 people in attacks on villages in North Kordofan state, according to Sudanese activists. The raids, which began on Saturday, targeted areas around the city of Bara, which is under RSF control.
The Emergency Lawyers human rights group reported that over 200 people were killed in the village of Shag Alnom, and 46 people—including pregnant women and children—died in Hilat Hamid. Looting raids on other villages killed 38 civilians, with dozens more reported missing. The group stated that the villages were 'completely empty of any military objectives,' highlighting the criminal nature of the attacks.
More than 3,400 people have fled the recent fighting, according to the UN. The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army in North Kordofan, a key frontline in the civil war that began in April 2023. The army controls central and eastern Sudan, while the RSF consolidates its hold on western regions.
Fighting also reignited this month in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after a weeks-long lull. The RSF briefly captured a livestock market, prison, and military base before being pushed back, but continued shelling the city with drones. El Fasher is the last major city in Darfur not under RSF control and has seen rising violence, with hundreds of thousands fleeing since April.
A Médecins Sans Frontières report documented systematic violence in El Fasher, including looting, mass killings, sexual violence, and attacks on civilian infrastructure. The UN has warned of extreme shortages of food and clean water in the city. The US and human rights groups have accused the RSF of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, though the RSF leadership says it will hold perpetrators accountable.
