A horrific gun and artillery assault by Sudanese paramilitaries on a village in Sudan’s main farming region has left at least 104 people dead, including dozens of children, according to Sudanese pro-democracy activists.
The attack took place on Wednesday at Wad al-Noura, a village located 70 miles south of the capital, Khartoum. The exact circumstances of the assault are still disputed, but the high death toll and images of a mass burial that circulated on social media have drawn international condemnation.
The United Nations official in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, described the images from Wad Al-Noura as “heartbreaking,” while British Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that “those responsible will be held to account.”
The village of Wad al-Noura is in Jazeera Province, where phone lines are down, making it difficult for Sudanese to get accurate information about the incident. Videos and accounts from local activists have been crucial in understanding the situation.
One video shared online shows Rapid Support Forces vehicles firing machine guns towards the village, while another video from inside Wad al-Noura suggests that the village tried to mount some form of defense.
The local resistance committee has called the incident a massacre and posted videos showing bodies laid out for burial. The Sudan Witness Project verified the authenticity of these videos and photographs.
The Rapid Support Forces admitted to opening fire on Wad al-Noura but claimed they were targeting military positions around the village. The head of UNICEF expressed horror at reports that 35 children were killed and 20 injured in the violence.
Sudan’s army chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, visited wounded villagers and promised a “harsh response” to the Rapid Support Forces for the killings.
The village of Wad al-Noura is located in a once-thriving farming region that has now become a battleground. The Rapid Support Forces have captured key areas in the region, putting Sudan’s army at a disadvantage.
The United States has imposed new sanctions on companies in the United Arab Emirates, the main foreign sponsor of the Rapid Support Forces, in response to the conflict in Sudan.
The situation in Sudan remains dire, with fears of further violence and humanitarian crises looming over the country.
