Rights groups report horrific village raids by Sudan’s RSF, including the burning of civilians alive, amid deepening civil war and new ICC war crimes probe.
Nearly 300 civilians, including children and pregnant women, were killed in a series of brutal attacks by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Kordofan, according to a report by a local human rights group, Emergency Lawyers.
The lawyers accused the RSF of launching coordinated raids over the weekend, targeting several villages around the city of Bara—an area currently under RSF control. The worst of the violence occurred in the village of Shag Alnom, where more than 200 people were either burned alive inside their homes or shot, in what Emergency Lawyers described as a “terrible massacre.” Dozens more were killed in neighboring villages, and many have been reported forcibly disappeared.
A second attack took place the following day in the village of Hilat Hamid, leaving at least 46 civilians dead. Emergency Lawyers emphasized that none of the targeted villages had military presence or strategic significance, calling the assaults “clear war crimes” in violation of international humanitarian law.
The civil war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has split the country between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which hold control of central and eastern regions, and the RSF, which is consolidating power in the west, including North Kordofan and Darfur.
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed that over 3,000 people have fled the recent violence, seeking refuge in safer areas of Bara. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has launched a new investigation into alleged war crimes in West Darfur. Chief prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told the UN Security Council that her office has “reasonable grounds to believe” that war crimes and crimes against humanity are ongoing in Sudan.
Khan detailed widespread atrocities, including rape, sexual violence, abductions for ransom, and deliberate attacks on hospitals and humanitarian convoys. She said famine is worsening and water sources are being cut off in what she called an “intolerable” humanitarian catastrophe.
The RSF has pledged to investigate those responsible for violations, but international observers remain skeptical amid ongoing reports of looting, ethnic violence, and deliberate targeting of civilians.
Sudan’s civil war has already displaced 13 million people and left over 40,000 dead, creating what the UN describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Disease outbreaks, such as cholera, are on the rise, and more than half the country’s population is now facing hunger.
As global attention shifts to other conflicts, human rights groups continue to call for greater international intervention and accountability for those responsible for the atrocities in Sudan.