Rapid Support Forces execute civilians in Omdurman
Field commander admits responsibility as RSF leadership scrambles to deny involvement
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Sunday conducted a mass execution of approximately 25-30 civilians in Omdurman, Khartoum State, drawing widespread condemnation following the circulation of graphic video evidence online. The incident took place deep inside RSF-controlled territory and highlights a breakdown of military discipline within RSF command structures.
Footage reviewed and geolocated by Sudan War Monitor places the execution videos in the Hai Al-Qe’aa Sharq neighborhood, immediately outside Al-Wisal Girls Secondary School. This neighborhood lies within the Salha district of southern Omdurman, the twin city of the capital, located on the banks of the Nile.
Alongside parts of western Omdurman’s Ombada district, Salha represents one of the few remaining areas of the capital region still under RSF control, following a chaotic retreat from neighboring Khartoum itself in late March.
In one clip (Clip 2 below), RSF gunmen open fire on a group of seated captives while a fighter is heard shouting “kill them.” Another video (Clip 3) shows the bodies lying dead moments later, with RSF combatants at the scene vowing further killings in retaliation for the alleged execution of RSF fighters in SAF custody.
Sun position analysis (SunCalc) and shadow examination confirm the executions occurred between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM local time on April 27.
A separate video (Clip 1), filmed shortly before the executions, shows a group of young male captives being escorted on foot by RSF fighters. The detainees, several of whom appear to be teenagers, walk in single file under guard, with their heads lowered. One of the RSF combatants can be seen walking ahead and another riding on a motorcycle, monitoring their movement.
Sudan War Monitor geolocated this footage to 15°31'59.83"N, 32°25'26.35"E – approximately 500 meters north of the execution site. The terrain and shadow angles are consistent with the subsequent execution footage, confirming the captives were being led toward the location where they were later killed.
The execution site is located roughly five kilometers to the south of the nearest frontline around Omdurman Islamic University, which is held by the RSF, with SAF positions are located just north and west of the campus.
The victims were accused by RSF fighters of being affiliated with the Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, a pro-Islamist militant group that has fought alongside the Sudanese army since the start of the conflict in 2023. In one clip, an RSF combatant driving toward the execution site refers to the captives as “collaborators.”
Denial and then admission of responsibility
Within hours of the videos spreading online, the RSF's central command issued a statement disavowing the incident. It denied that the perpetrators were RSF fighters, claiming that the executions took place in the Muhandisin area—a previous battleground now controlled by the Sudanese military—and framed the atrocity as a potential SAF war crime. The statement stressed RSF commitment to international humanitarian law and called for “caution” in attributing violations.
However, the RSF leadership’s version was quickly undermined by internal contradictions. Speaking in a live interview on Al Jazeera, RSF political advisor Mustafa Mohamed Ibrahim admitted that the killings had been carried out by RSF forces. He claimed, however, that the victims were not civilians, but rather undercover SAF soldiers operating in civilian clothes.
Ibrahim went further, framing the executions as part of a larger strategic shift. He stated that the war had evolved from a conflict between the army and RSF into a war between the Sudanese military and the communities from which the RSF draws its support. In a striking escalation, Ibrahim hinted at targeting communities associated with Al-Burhan, suggesting preemptive attacks against civilian populations. He referenced a controversial Sudanese proverb — “Have lunch with him before he has dinner with you” — to imply the RSF must strike first to prevent the annihilation of its tribal base.
“We have also stated that those were military personnel, not civilians… they were killed in battle, and that is our evidence [that they are Sudanese military soldiers]. Al-Burhan takes responsibility for this. Al-Burhan has openly declared his intention to exterminate the Al-Dagalo family and the communities allied with them. These are [our] civilian communities. The communities that Al-Burhan seeks to annihilate are civilians. We will not sit idly by while Al-Burhan seeks to destroy our communities. Never. And that is our stance from this day forward.”
“This war has evolved from a conflict between the army and the RSF into a war between the military and the communities from which the RSF originates. These are large communities, and Al-Burhan cannot wipe them out. These communities are greater than Al-Burhan, and they are also bigger than Yasir Al-Atta,” Ibrahim said, referring to SAF’s commander-in-chief and assistant commander-in-chief.
The RSF’s narrative further collapsed when a field commander directly involved in the executions publicly rejected RSF headquarters' denial of responsibility. Jar el-Nabi Abdallah, known by his callsign “Ostura” and identifying himself as the RSF sector commander for southern Omdurman, released a recorded statement in which he accepted full responsibility for the killings. In the video, Ostura confirmed his presence at the scene, identified the units under his command, and cited his RSF service number to affirm his affiliation with the force.
He insisted that the victims were SAF personnel operating in civilian attire, captured and executed in retaliation for SAF actions elsewhere.
“I would like to address the questions raised regarding the individuals killed on April 27, 2025. I am Jar El Nabi Abdalla, also known as ‘Ostura’. I was the one who captured them, and I am the one who appeared in the media. There have been questions circulating on social media regarding whether these individuals were civilians or soldiers, and why, if they were soldiers, they were executed in such a manner.”
“Let me be clear: these individuals were not civilians. Some were associates of [Abu Aqla Keikel, commander of the Sudan Shield paramilitary, which is allied with Sudan’s army], while others were from Al-Baraa Bin Malik [another SAF-allied paramilitary]. They were on an important mission inside Al Muhandisin but disguised themselves as civilians by wearing civilian clothes. We captured them as a response to the traitor Al-Burhan and his actions in Al-Jazeera, and against the civilians from the west, as well as the good citizens of Sudan. In retaliation for what they did to the Sudanese people, we executed them.”
“Regarding those on social media who claim the individuals responsible for the execution are not part of the RSF, I am Jar El Nabi Abdalla. My military ID number is 50139136, and I joined the RSF in the 2016 batch five. If the RSF denies that I am one of their own, I am willing to go to the ICC to prove that this is a clear message— that they believe they can kill us, but we should not retaliate.”
“In response to the RSF’s statement, I must clarify that it is false. We, the ones on the battlefield, have more knowledge and experience than anyone who is not directly involved in the fighting. I am the commander of operations for Muhandisin South, and I am responsible for the area stretching from the Muhandisin Juncture to Dabasin Bridge,” the commander said in the video statement.
Ostura’s public assertion of responsibility, and his direct and willful contradiction of the RSF leadership, highlight the degree of autonomy exercised by field commanders. The incident reflects a broader erosion of centralized authority over RSF forces engaged in frontline operations.
Outrage among Sudanese over killings
The mass executions triggered an outpouring of condemnation from political groups, human rights organizations, and international actors.
In a statement on Tuesday, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Clementine Nkweta-Salami expressed “grave concerns” about the escalating risks facing civilians in parts of Omdurman following “alarming reports of brutal attacks by armed actors against civilians in Salha.” She reiterated that civilians “must never be a target” and stressed that "serious violations must be investigated with perpetrators held to account."
Inside Sudan, political groups reacted with anger and alarm. The Sudanese Congress Party – Khartoum State described the executions as a “deliberate killing of innocent civilians” and a continuation of systematic violence aimed at dismantling the country’s social fabric. The party condemned the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the strongest terms, holding its leadership "fully responsible for these violations" and called for immediate documentation and prosecution of the crimes through national and international justice mechanisms.
The Emergency Lawyers, a local war monitoring group, similarly issued a strongly worded statement condemning what it described as “cold-blooded killings” of unarmed civilians. It emphasized that the deliberate nature of the executions, including recorded confessions by RSF commanders, amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The group called for immediate legal action to ensure that the perpetrators “do not escape accountability.”
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (Mainstream) also condemned the massacre, stating that the RSF leadership bears “full legal and criminal responsibility” for the killings. The party noted that this was part of a pattern of massacres committed by RSF forces and warned that attempts at denial would not erase responsibility. It further demanded urgent trials for those responsible and urged local and international media to expose those who had documented the executions themselves.
Meanwhile the Sudan Doctors Network confirmed that 31 civilians, including minors, were executed in Al-Salha, describing the massacre as “the largest documented mass killing in the region” and a “full-fledged war crime and crime against humanity.” The Network called on the international community to urgently intervene to protect civilians trapped in RSF-controlled areas and to secure safe evacuation corridors for residents of Al-Salha.
The Sudan Resistance Committees and the Forces Signatory to the Revolutionary Charter for the Establishment of People’s Authority denounced the killings as part of a pattern of “massacres, crimes, and war crimes” committed systematically by the RSF militia. They accused the RSF of not only executing civilians but also using hostages to extort ransoms from families before killing captives when demands were not met. The Resistance Committees called for the RSF to be officially designated as a terrorist organization and affirmed that these crimes “will not be forgotten” and that responsibility extends to all political and logistical supporters of the militia.
Prominent journalist Osman Mirghani, Osman Mirghani, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Tayyar Newspaper, writing in his City Talk column, described the Al-Salha massacre in chilling detail. He documented how RSF fighters forced young detainees to march half-naked, verbally abused them, and executed them without charges or even questioning. Tires were then placed atop the bodies and set alight, apparently to obscure their identities. Mirghani called for urgent legal documentation of RSF war crimes and urged a strong media campaign to expose the militia's atrocities, warning that silence would embolden further massacres.
Further condemnation came from Mubarak Ardol, head of the Democratic Alliance for Social Justice, who stated that “the political forces and movements that allied themselves with the militia are equally responsible for this crime and must bear the burden alongside the direct perpetrators.”
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement denouncing the RSF’s “terrorist campaigns” across multiple regions of Sudan, citing not only the Al-Salha massacre but also alleged systematic attacks on villages in South Kordofan, Sennar, and Al-Jazira states, including killings, abductions, and mass sexual violence against civilians.
The Ministry described the RSF’s actions as “an extension of the war of aggression” against the Sudanese people and called on the international community to take “firm and urgent steps” to hold the RSF accountable for atrocities, including the genocide committed in Darfur.
Graphic Content Warning
⚠️ The following section contains videos depicting various kinds of graphic violence. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. Exposure to such material can have psychological effects, including desensitization to violence, increased anxiety, and potential trauma. Please be mindful of your mental well-being before engaging with this material.
Video Clip 1
Description: RSF combatants with whips and sticks lead a group of 30 prisoners along a street in Salha, Omdurman, near the scene of execution. Music is overlaid on the image, which was sourced from
Video Clip 2
Description: Armed men in a mix of RSF uniforms and civilian clothes surround a group of civilians men and boys, some of them shirtless. They are insulting and beating them and the cameraman shouts an RSF slogan. At 0:26, a gunman with a distinctive RSF kadmol (head wrap) draped over his shoulders points his gun at the prisoners and begins firing. Several prisoners are seen falling over while the others cower in fear. The gunfire stops as the video cuts away from the scene.
Video Clip 3
Description: RSF combatants gloat over a mass of approximately 25-30 bodies at the same scene as Clip 2. Celebratory gunfire is heard.
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