 escalates across Sudan’s Kordofan region, calling for urgent international action to protect communities caught in the crossfire.){kind=link}
By: Ginaba Lino
Amnesty International has warned of mounting civilian atrocities as violence by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalates across Sudan’s Kordofan region, calling for urgent international action to protect communities caught in the crossfire.
The organization says recent RSF attacks including deadly drone strikes and sieges on key towns are worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
The RSF has reportedly seized Bara town in North Kordofan and intensified assaults around El Obeid, the state capital.
On 3 November, a drone strike during a funeral near El Obeid allegedly killed at least 40 people, while RSF units have continued to besiege Kadugli in South Kordofan, trapping civilians and cutting off access to essential supplies.
“The world cannot continue to turn its back on civilians in Sudan, especially in the Kordofan region,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. “It is unconscionable to stand by as civilians are at risk of being killed by RSF fighters. There must be no repeat of the horrific bloodshed we’ve seen in El Fasher.”
Amnesty urged the RSF to end all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and demanded safe passage for those fleeing El Obeid. The organization also called on countries supplying arms to the RSF, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to immediately halt all military assistance that fuels the ongoing conflict.
“The international community including the UAE, the UN Security Council, EU member states, the United Kingdom, United States, Russia, and China has failed the people of Sudan,” Callamard warned. “They must urgently pressure RSF leaders to stop their brutal assaults on civilians.”
Since capturing El Fasher from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on 26 October, RSF fighters have been accused of mass killings, rapes, and other atrocities. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has voiced alarm over reports of these crimes, calling for accountability and protection for civilians.
Amnesty also appealed to regional bodies including the African Union (AU), IGAD, OIC, and the Arab League to intensify pressure on the RSF and ensure respect for international humanitarian law.
The conflict between the RSF and SAF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 12 million people, making it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Amnesty has previously documented war crimes and ethnically targeted attacks by RSF and allied militias, as well as the illegal flow of weapons into Sudan in defiance of the Darfur arms embargo.
As RSF violence escalates across Kordofan, Amnesty warns that failure to act now could unleash another wave of atrocities a tragedy the world can no longer ignore.