Thousands of Sudanese flee North Kordofan as RSF militant violence spreads
Brutal assaults by the Rapid Support Forces in North Kordofan have driven more than 4,500 civilians from their homes, amid reports of summary executions and fears of new massacres.
More than 4,500 people have fled Sudan’s North Kordofan state amid intensifying attacks and abuses by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese medical group said on Friday.
The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement on X that North Kordofan witnesses a “rapid exodus” from the Bara locality toward El Obeid city as violence escalates and civilians face relentless violations.
“Field (reports) indicate that the number of displaced people has exceeded 4,500, including 1,900 who have reached El Obeid, while the rest remain en route under harsh conditions and facing severe shortages of food, water, and shelter,” the statement said.
The International Organization for Migration said on Thursday that an additional 1,100 people fled Bara this week, raising the number of newly displaced civilians nationwide to more than 35,000 in just four days.
Local authorities confirmed deaths and injuries from an RSF drone strike on the Zareibat Sheikh El Borai area of North Kordofan, underscoring the region’s deepening insecurity.
Since April 2023, Sudan’s army and the RSF militants have been locked in a devastating civil war that has killed about 20,000 people and uprooted more than 15 million, according to UN figures.
RSF arrests fighters for executions
Meanwhile, the RSF announced the arrest of several of its fighters accused of abuses during the capture of Al Fasher, including one man, who called himself Abu Lulu, seen in AFP verified videos executing prisoners.
In one clip verified by AFP, he is seen shooting unarmed men at close range. Another shows him standing among armed men near dozens of bodies and burnt vehicles.
The RSF released a video appearing to show Abu Lulu behind bars in what they claimed to be a North Darfur prison.
But survivors who escaped to Tawila described mass killings, children shot before their parents, and civilians robbed as they fled, according to AFP.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council on Thursday that there were “credible reports of widespread executions” in Al Fasher, casting doubt on the RSF’s claims of accountability.
The RSF, which traces its roots to the government-backed Janjaweed militia of the early 2000s Darfur conflict, now faces fresh accusations of war crimes.