Over a span of three days, more than 200 unarmed civilians have lost their lives in a series of attacks in a cluster of villages in Sudan, as reported by a local human rights organization. The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is implicated in these violent incidents, which are part of an ongoing brutal conflict with the military.
According to the Emergency Lawyers network, the assaults occurred in the villages of al-Kadaris and al-Khelwat, located in the northern region of White Nile state, where military forces were absent. The network accused RSF fighters of committing acts such as executions, kidnappings, enforced disappearances, and looting of property.
The RSF, which had previously allied with the military prior to the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, has not responded to these serious allegations. The two factions had initially come to power together through a coup but experienced a rift over an internationally supported initiative aimed at transitioning to civilian governance.
Currently, some senior leaders of the RSF are in Kenya, where they are anticipated to announce plans to establish their own government in the territories they control. Analysts caution that this development could exacerbate the existing divisions within Sudan.
Humanitarian organizations have raised urgent concerns regarding the situation in Sudan, where the conflict has displaced approximately 12 million individuals. The death toll among civilians has reached tens of thousands, with both the RSF and the army facing accusations of committing atrocities.
At the core of this conflict lies a power struggle between Sudan’s de facto leader and army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy-turned-rival, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, who heads the RSF. Recently, the army achieved a significant victory by regaining control of parts of the capital, Khartoum, including its military headquarters, and has also secured near-total control of the vital state of Gezira.
The RSF has made a comeback following recent challenges, with intentions to establish a competing government in regions still under its control, primarily in Darfur and parts of Kordofan state.
Currently, the RSF is convening with allied factions in Nairobi to finalize what it refers to as a “political charter for the Government of Peace and Unity.”
In response, Gen Burhan has dismissed this initiative and is determined to regain full control of Khartoum. He is presently located in Port Sudan, having been compelled to evacuate Khartoum months after the onset of the civil war, when the RSF took over the military headquarters and the presidential palace.
