At least 15 civilians killed in RSF attack in Sudan’s North Kordofan
At least 15 civilians were killed and seven others injured in an attack on the Berber area, south of El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan State, the state government said on Friday, accusing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the assault.
In a statement, North Kordofan State government spokesperson Jamaa Al-Mahdi Jamaa said the attackers targeted civilians during the raid and also looted “a number of livestock,” News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
According to the statement, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), supported by other regular forces, later deployed to the area, repelled the attackers and regained control. Security forces have continued combing operations aimed at protecting civilians and securing the area.
A military source in the field told Xinhua that the Berber area was subjected to two separate attacks, the first on Thursday evening and the second early Friday. The source said RSF fighters launched the assaults using about 15 combat vehicles in an attempt to capture the area, which is located roughly 31 kilometers south of El Obeid.
The source added that fighting continued for several hours before SAF troops, backed by allied forces, succeeded in driving back the attackers.
An eyewitness told Xinhua that sustained gunfire and explosions could be heard for hours from the southern outskirts of the city. The violence prompted some families to temporarily move to safer neighborhoods, while commercial activity in local markets was disrupted.
The RSF had not issued an immediate response to the allegations.
The attack comes as military operations intensify across the Kordofan region, where the RSF has stepped up its activities in recent weeks. El Obeid, a strategically important city linking central Sudan with the Darfur region, has become one of the main battlegrounds in the conflict.
Sudan has been embroiled in an armed conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023. The fighting has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions of people, and further deteriorated humanitarian and security conditions across much of the country.
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