At least 18 civilians were killed and dozens injured in an attack by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on villages in North Kordofan State, according to the Emergency Lawyers group on Saturday.
The assault took place Thursday in the villages of Murkaz Al-Ziyadiya and Lamina Al-Ziyadiya, south of Umm Kridem, an area devoid of government troops, leaving residents directly exposed to the assailants. The attack reportedly involved widespread abuses, including looting and mistreatment of civilians.
Due to the lack of local medical facilities, many of the wounded were transported to El-Obeid, the state capital, located several dozen kilometers away. Communications in the area remain severely disrupted, with internet access relying on unstable Starlink satellite connections.
North Kordofan has been a flashpoint in Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the RSF commanded by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti.”
As the war enters its third year, Sudan remains effectively split: the army holds the central, eastern, and northern regions, while the RSF controls most of Darfur and parts of the south. The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced over 13 million people, and triggered what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The country also faces a severe cholera outbreak, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting around 100,000 suspected cases since July 2024. The health emergency is compounded by widespread malnutrition and disease outbreaks, raising fears of further civilian suffering in the months ahead.
