Sudan’s RSF Accused of Massacre in Gezira State Amid Rising Tensions

The RSF militia faces accusations of committing a ‘massacre’ in Sudan’s Gezira State, adding to ongoing unrest and humanitarian concerns. Get the latest updates on this unfolding crisis.

The Gezira Conference, a local civil society organization, has labeled the assaults in northern and eastern Gezira state as a massacre.

According to reports, fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked a town in the Al-Kamelin locality on Friday morning. They reportedly fired indiscriminately from high-rise buildings, resulting in at least 50 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

In the city of Tamboul, located in northern Gezira, RSF fighters rampaged through the area, killing dozens of civilians and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

Local groups believe that the attacks are driven by anger following a high-ranking RSF commander’s defection to the army. Abu Aqlah Keikel, who effectively governs Gezira province and is originally from there, surrendered to the Sudanese military in early October.

The Doctors’ Union in Sudan reported that RSF attacks have transformed parts of eastern Gezira into “a brutal war zone.”

It alleged that the fighters committed sexual assaults, attacked healthcare facilities, and forcibly displaced people.

“Crisis in Neglect”

On Friday, a high-ranking United Nations official urged the international community to focus more on “the forgotten crisis” in Sudan. Over 18 months of conflict have brought the African nation dangerously close to famine.

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Ted Chaiban, deputy head of UNICEF, made the appeal following reports from a doctors’ union and a youth group that the notorious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces were rampaging through villages and towns in east-central Gezira province. They looted and vandalized both public and private properties, resulting in dozens of reported deaths.

Chaiban stated that the conflict, which began in April 2023 between the military and RSF, has resulted in “one of the most severe crises in recent memory.” Over 14 million people have been compelled to leave their homes, positioning Sudan as having the world’s largest displacement crisis.

“We haven’t seen numbers like these in a generation,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press, referring to the displaced individuals and noting that 8.5 million people are experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity while another 775,000 are facing conditions similar to famine.

“The entire nation has been unsettled,” he stated. “However, despite this, both the country and its crisis have been overlooked.”