Thirteen people were shot dead on Sunday in an attack blamed on Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Al-Jazira state south of Khartoum, a medical source told AFP, amid the recent surge of violence.
“Thirteen people were killed as a result of the Rapid Support Forces opening fire on civilians in the town of Al-Hilaliya in eastern Al-Jazira state,” about 70 kilometers north of the state capital Wad Madani, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Al-Jazira state, which is controlled by the Sudanese Army, has witnessed last month the killing of at least 124 people in attacks carried out by the RSF on the village of Alseriha while at least 120,000 people were displaced.
The conflict in Sudan erupted in mid-April 2023 between the regular army led by the country’s de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The conflict has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands and displacing more than 13 million, according to UN estimates.
Last Thursday, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, condemned the grave human rights violations committed by the RSF in Al-Jazira State over the past few days, which included - according to UN reports - mass killings, rape of women and girls, plundering of markets and homes, and burning of farms on a large scale.
