10 civilians killed by paramilitary forces in Sudan

At least 10 civilians were killed in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a village in Gezira State in central Sudan, non-governmental groups announced on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

"The RSF militia stormed Al-Barorab village east of Gezira State and killed 10 citizens," said the resistance committee of Wad Madani, the state's capital city.

Meanwhile, the non-governmental Sudanese Doctors Network confirmed in a statement that "nearly 13 people were killed and some others injured in an RSF attack on Al-Barorab village on Monday evening."

The group condemned killing and looting in villages of Gezira State, as well as the siege imposed on the area, which led to mass displacement and a severe humanitarian disaster.

Activists and volunteer groups accused the RSF of carrying out a series of attacks on eastern Gezira since its commander in central Sudan, Abu Aqla Keikel, surrendered himself and his forces to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Oct. 20.

However, the RSF said its fighters were not targeting civilians but fighting armed groups supporting the army.

"Those who were recently attacked in eastern Gezira are not civilians," Imran Abdullah, an advisor to the RSF commander, said on social media platform X on Oct. 29, noting that there has been a "deliberate" wave of arming the citizens.

About 135,400 people were displaced from various locations in Gezira State following a surge of violence in over 30 villages and towns across the state since Oct. 20, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its latest update on Tuesday.

Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023. A situation report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project issued on Oct. 14 indicated that the fighting had claimed over 24,850 lives.

The conflict has also displaced more than 14 million people, either inside or outside Sudan, according to the latest estimates by the International Organization for Migration on Oct. 29.