Dozens of deaths feared in RSF attack on village in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state

In the Sudanese state of Al Jazirah, numerous civilians are believed to have been killed after attacks by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces around the village of Wad Al-Noora on Wednesday.

“Up to a hundred” people were killed when RSF militia besieged the village and attacked it twice with heavy artillery, the Wad Madani Resistance Committee said in a social media post, citing eyewitness accounts.

“The Rapid Support militia committed a bloody massacre against the residents of Wad Al Noura village,” wrote the committee, a civilian group that nonviolently opposes militant groups embroiled in a civil war with the Sudanese government.

In April 2023, fighting broke out between the Sudanese Army (SAF) and the RSF group after months of tensions surrounding a planned transition to civilian rule. The conflict, now 13 months old, has triggered one of the “worst humanitarian crises in the world” and left at least 15,000 people dead, according to the United Nations. Recently, clashes broke out between the RSF and the SAF in Al Jazirah state.

Videos posted on social media since Wednesday appear to show rows of bodies wrapped in shrouds waiting to be buried in the village’s public square.

“An inventory is underway, although there are no communication networks or internet in the village,” the committee wrote.

Al Jazirah State in central Sudan is commonly referred to as the country’s breadbasket. It is a major hub for humanitarian operations and the state that produces more than half of Sudan’s grain production. It is also the country’s main grain storehouse.

MORE: Sudan’s army rejects calls to de-escalate fighting in El Fasher

Many civilians – including some who spoke to ABC News – had sought refuge in the state after being displaced by conflict in other parts of the country.

The RSF advanced into the state capital, Wad Madani, in December after days of heavy fighting with the SAF, including air strikes and gunfire, which displaced tens of thousands.

RSF forces confirmed that they had attacked “three camps west, south and north of the Wad Al-Noura area” in Al Jazirah state at 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

“Our forces clashed with enemy forces in the above-mentioned camps outside the city,” RSF said. The paramilitary group said in a statement published on X that it counted eight dead and “a number of injured.”

ABC News could not independently verify the casualty figures. Local groups warned that the actual number is likely much higher.

MORE: Deadly clashes in El Fasher, Darfur, escalate amid international calls for end to Sudan’s civil war

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned about the well-being and safety of civilians involved in the clashes.”

The latest attacks come as “intense” fighting continues in El Fasher in northern Darfur. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) told ABC News that the town remains under heavy artillery fire and gunfire.

“There are mass casualties almost every day,” said the organization, also known as Doctors Without Borders.

The International Office for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday that the number of people displaced by the conflict in Sudan could exceed 10 million in the coming days as famine threatens.

Dozens of people feared dead in attack by RSF fighters on a village in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state. Original article appeared on abcnews.go.com