New findings from Sudan’s South Kordofan state show that Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias raped, killed, and abducted people who are part of the region’s ethnic Nuba residents, also looting and destroying their homes. These abuses constitute war crimes.
What’s Happening
Sudan has been embroiled in conflict since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF in April 2023.
Villages and towns across the country have been torn apart or burned to the ground as the warring parties vie for control. As a result, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced.
The attacks in South Kordofan state happened between December 2023 and March 2024.
In December 2023, RSF fighters attacked the town of Habila in South Kordofan. They killed 35 civilians and unarmed fighters, raped women and girls, and looted the town.
“When the RSF arrived, they told the men, ‘Get your weapons out for us!’” one woman told us. “The men said they did not have guns. Then the RSF said, ‘Bring out your money.’ The men said they had no money. That’s when the RSF started shooting them.”
The RSF executed similar attacks on other villages in the region in early 2024.
Documenting Atrocities
Human Rights Watch visited South Kordofan in October. We interviewed dozens of people, many of whom had been displaced by fighting.
We also analyzed satellite imagery of the area which showed evidence of looting and burning in multiple villages, and video that depicted men in RSF uniforms riding past homes on fire.
Between the attacks on Habila and other villages in the region, we found that at least 56 people were killed, some execution-style, and at least 79 women and girls were raped. The attacks displaced tens of thousands more.
Human Rights Watch has previously documented abuses by the RSF and allied militias in other places in Sudan, including war crimes and crimes against humanity as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing in West Darfur state.
Enough is Enough
After nearly two years of brutal conflict, international bodies like the United Nations and African Union have not done enough to protect Sudanese civilians. They, along with human rights groups, have long called for the establishment of a protection mission for the country.
Even for people who have managed to escape the fighting, humanitarian needs across Sudan are dire.
Sudanese civilians deserve our attention. And they need protection now.
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