Fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) unleashed a violent campaign in east-central Sudan, killing over 120 people in Gezira province, according to reports from the United Nations and Sudanese medical groups. The attack, spanning several days from October 20 to 25, involved brutal assaults on civilians, including sexual violence against women and girls, widespread looting, and the forced displacement of more than 4,000 people, particularly in Tambiuk and nearby villages.
This incident underscores the severe toll of a war that has devastated Sudan for nearly 18 months, displacing millions and threatening to plunge the country into famine. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) described the violence as an “appalling human rights violation,” with its director general, Amy Pope, urging international intervention, warning, “Millions of lives are in the balance.” Clementine Nkweta-Salami, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, drew a chilling parallel between these attacks and the atrocities committed during the Darfur genocide in the early 2000s, which also saw widespread sexual violence and mass killings by Janjaweed militias, from which the RSF originates.
The Sudanese Doctors’ Union reported that, in the town of Sariha alone, at least 124 civilians were killed, and 200 were wounded. The group also accused the RSF of detaining around 150 people and called upon the U.N. Security Council to pressure the paramilitary group to open “safe corridors” to allow humanitarian aid to reach the affected areas. Footage circulating on social media, some purportedly shared by RSF fighters, appeared to show them abusing detainees, intensifying the outrage surrounding the attacks.
The RSF’s latest assault comes after significant setbacks in their conflict with the Sudanese military. The military recently launched a successful offensive, reclaiming strategic locations, including parts of Khartoum and the mountainous Jebel Moya in Gezira province. The defection of a key RSF commander in Gezira, Abu Aqlah Keikel, further weakened the paramilitary group and may have sparked retaliatory attacks on villages believed to be loyal to Keikel.
Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023, with hostilities breaking out in Khartoum before spreading to other regions. Since then, the RSF has faced accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur, where ethnic violence and mass rapes have drawn international condemnation. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project estimates that over 24,000 people have died since the war began, with many more suffering amid restricted humanitarian access and rampant human rights abuses.
The Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces, a pro-democracy alliance, held the RSF responsible for the “massive violations” in Gezira and has called for accountability. International observers, meanwhile, continue to press for a resolution to the conflict, with hopes of restoring stability in a nation already beset by economic turmoil and social fragmentation.
The unfolding crisis highlights Sudan’s tenuous path forward. While the military has managed to reclaim significant territories, the RSF’s brutal response suggests that a peaceful resolution remains elusive. Observers worry that without substantial international intervention, the violence will only continue, amplifying the suffering of a civilian population already bearing the brunt of this protracted conflict.
