Almost 300 killed in wave of violence in Sudan’s North Kordofan

A new wave of violence has erupted in Sudan’s North Kordofan state, with activists reporting that almost 300 people have been killed in attacks that began over the weekend.

The Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese human rights group, say the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched coordinated assaults on villages surrounding the city of Bara, which is currently under RSF control. In the village of Shag Alnom alone, more than 200 people were reportedly killed, either shot or burned to death in arson attacks.

Looting raids in neighboring villages claimed another 38 civilian lives, according to the group, while dozens more remain missing. On Sunday, the RSF allegedly attacked the village of Hilat Hamid, killing 46 people, including pregnant women and children.

North Kordofan has become one of the central battlegrounds in Sudan’s civil war, which broke out in April 2023 between the RSF and the country’s national army. The conflict has devastated communities across the nation and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today.

Since the start of the war, tens of thousands of people have been killed, and more than 13 million have been displaced from their homes, according to humanitarian agencies.

As the violence intensifies, human rights organizations and aid groups are calling on the international community to act swiftly. They warn that without urgent intervention, civilians will remain at the mercy of escalating attacks and deepening instability.