Who Was Behind the Deadly Attack in Sudan’s Wad al-Nourah?

For 40-year-old farmer Ali Ibrahim, June 5th started like any other day until it was shattered by a relentless bombardment. “We had never experienced such heavy shelling before,” Ibrahim recalls. The attack lasted for four hours, leaving a trail of devastation: destroyed homes, terrified children, and helpless women and elderly people who couldn’t escape.

The assault on the Sudanese village of Wad al-Nourah resulted in the deaths of at least 100 civilians, according to estimates from local resistance committee volunteers. Ibrahim, who describes the villagers as unarmed farmers with no enemies, laments their vulnerability: “We are simple farmers trying to protect our lives.”

Survivors of the attack, who spoke from Al Managil government hospital about 80 kilometers from the village, accuse the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the assault. The RSF, a paramilitary group in conflict with the Sudanese army since April 2023, is alleged to have used heavy weaponry in the assault. Reports from survivors and video footage suggest that the RSF not only attacked the village in two successive waves but also looted vehicles and impeded the villagers’ attempts to escape.

The survivors describe a harrowing experience, first enduring the bombardment, and then facing a second RSF attack early the next morning. One survivor recounted, “They entered our house, beat me and my siblings, and demanded to know where the gold was. My little sister was terrified and urged my mother to hand it over.”

Accounts from various survivors align, indicating that RSF forces attacked from multiple directions, raided homes, and stole valuables including gold and agricultural products. Hamad Suleiman, a 42-year-old trader, witnessed the brutality firsthand. “They entered my brother’s house and began shooting without warning,” Suleiman recounts. His brother and nephew were killed, and another nephew was injured. Suleiman tried to reason with the RSF fighters, only to be shot in the hand and left behind as they looted the area.

However, RSF spokesperson Al-Fateh Qurashi responded on social media, denying that their forces targeted civilians. He claimed that their engagement was with elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and an allied militia known as ‘Al Mustanfaron’, who were supposedly present in the village. Despite this, analysis of videos provided by the RSF showed that the locations depicted were outside the village, while RSF forces had fired from a distance.

Wad al-Nourah is one of many villages in Gezira state, a region heavily impacted by the ongoing conflict. The RSF took control of Gezira in December 2023, and has been accused of multiple civilian abuses, which it consistently denies. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has displaced millions and resulted in widespread violence.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, has called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the Wad al-Nourah attack. The villagers, grieving the loss of many loved ones, are hopeful for an investigation that will hold the perpetrators accountable, in stark contrast to previous instances where justice has been elusive in Sudan.