FALCON POWERS – Local activists reported that the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked the village of Wad al-Nurayr in Gezira state on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, killing at least 100 people. If the reports are confirmed, this attack would be the latest in a series of dozens of attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces on small villages across the agricultural Gezira state after they took control of its capital, Wad Madani, last December. The communication blackout prevented Reuters from reaching medics or residents to verify the death toll.
In a statement posted on social media late Wednesday, a pro-democracy group known as the Resistance Committees of Madani said “the village of Wad al-Nurayr… in Gezira state witnessed a genocide today, Wednesday… after an attack by the Rapid Support militia on the village twice, killing what may amount to 100 martyrs.” It later said the death toll was in the hundreds and that “the Armed Forces’ positions did not respond to rescue the citizens.”
The war between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces broke out in April of last year after disagreements over integrating the paramilitary force into the military. Since then, the Rapid Support Forces have taken control of the capital Khartoum and most of western Sudan, and are now seeking to advance towards the center of the country, while UN agencies warn that the Sudanese people are at “risk of imminent famine”.
The Rapid Support Forces said in a statement on Wednesday that they had attacked army bases and allied armed groups in the Wad al-Nurayr area, but did not announce any civilian casualties. The Resistance Committees of Madani accused the Rapid Support Forces of using heavy artillery against civilians, looting the village, and causing “complete displacement of women and children from the inhabitants towards Manaqil,” a nearby town.
The Resistance Committees posted a photo showing dozens of bodies being prepared for burial in an open square. The committee said, “The people of the village of Wad al-Nurayr appealed to the positions of the Armed Forces, which did not respond to the rescue of the citizens with all shame and disgrace.” The Transitional Sovereignty Council allied with the army condemned the attack, describing the incident as “criminal acts that reflect the systematic behavior of these militias in targeting civilians.”
