27 Civilians Killed in RSF-Linked Attacks During Eid in Sudan’s North Kordofan

A humanitarian organisation on Friday accused forces linked to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of killing 27 civilians , including elderly people, in attacks on villages in Sudan’s North Kordofan state during Eid al-Adha.

The Sudan Doctors Network said the violence struck the al-Murrah area west of Barah town on Thursday, in what it described as a zone with no military presence . The group said the killings have further worsened already “catastrophic humanitarian conditions” faced by civilians amid the ongoing conflict.

The war in Sudan began in April 2023 after tensions escalated between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces, rapidly spiralling into a nationwide conflict. Since then, North and West Kordofan have become major flashpoints, marked by repeated clashes and growing use of drone warfare.

The RSF and its allies currently hold parts of western Darfur and stretches of Kordofan along the South Sudan border, regions considered strategically important due to oil and gold reserves . Fighting between the RSF and the army has repeatedly engulfed areas around Barah.

Earlier this month, more than 61 people were killed in clashes in southern Kordofan involving forces linked to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North and the Otoro tribe. A separate drone strike on a crowded market in central Sudan killed 28 civilians.

The war, now in its third year, has killed an estimated 59,000 people , displaced around 13 million , and left over 30 million in need of humanitarian aid, with aid groups warning of worsening famine conditions and ongoing allegations of atrocities on both sides.