UN: 300 Civilians Killed in RSF Attacks on Villages in North Kordofan, Sudan

Watan-At least 300 civilians were killed in “brutal” attacks carried out by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on villages in North Kordofan State between July 10 and 13, according to a statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The attacks on villages in the Bara region included indiscriminate killings, looting, and the burning of homes, resulting in mass displacement of rural populations, including children and pregnant women.

The UN expressed deep concern over renewed shelling in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, which has heightened civilian insecurity. In West Kordofan, over 20 people were reported killed in attacks on the villages of Al-Fulah and Abu Zabad, including victims of airstrikes on a school sheltering families.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric described the incidents as “a tragic reminder of the devastating toll the conflict continues to inflict on civilians across Sudan,” adding:“We reiterate our condemnation of the killing of civilians and the targeting of civilian infrastructure—including homes, schools, and humanitarian assets. We urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law.”

On Saturday, the RSF launched a violent assault on the village of Shaq Al-Noum in North Kordofan, where horrific scenes of destruction unfolded.

Firsthand Accounts and Evidence of Atrocities:

Saleh Abdel Rahim (a pseudonym used for safety) told AFP that:“On Sunday, we collected bodies from the streets and homes—200 bodies were buried in our village alone.”

He spoke using a satellite device from a location near RSF positions, due to communication blackouts.“Under artillery fire, homes burned with people inside. RSF vehicles arrived amid machine gun fire and drone attacks. We had no choice but to fight back in self-defense.”

The Emergency Lawyers group, a Sudanese legal collective, accused the RSF of killing women and children, kidnapping civilians, and stealing livestock near Bara, adding that entire rural populations have now fled the area.

North Kordofan holds strategic importance for the RSF due to fuel smuggling routes into Libya. For months, the region has witnessed fierce fighting as the RSF attempts to encircle El-Obeid, the last major city linking Khartoum to Darfur, a region now almost completely under RSF control.

Despite being under siege for over a year, Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, remains outside RSF control.

According to Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair, the RSF aims to secure the Al-Fashir–El-Obeid axis before the peak rainy season in August, when roads become impassable, hindering further military advancement.

• These massacres signal a sharp escalation in ethnic and territorial violence.

• The RSF’s targeting of civilian centers, including schools and homes, raises the prospect of war crimes prosecutions.

• El-Obeid’s fall would give the RSF a major logistical and symbolic victory, tightening their grip over central Sudan.

• As international attention remains focused elsewhere (notably on Gaza and Ukraine), the Sudan war continues with limited global response despite growing civilian death tolls.