RSF rampages through North Kordofan villages, killing hundreds
"These attacks are an outrage. They represent a terrifying escalation of violence, and a complete disregard for human life."
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have carried out one of the deadliest massacres of Sudan’s war, killing approximately 300 civilians, including children, in the village of Shak Al-Noum and surrounding communities of North Kordofan State.
The paramilitary group’s rampage coincided with renewed clashes west of El Obeid as it pushes eastward from West Kordofan’s Al-Kuwei locality which it captured from the Sudanese military last month, towards the state capital.
On Saturday, RSF fighters stormed Shak Al-Noum, a village in Bara Locality, reportedly with no military presence, and executed a large-scale assault marked by shelling, arson, and the targeted killing of civilians.
Eyewitnesses described the village as “completely burned to ashes,” and video footage reviewed by Sudan War Monitor shows RSF fighters mocking women and children fleeing burning homes.
UNICEF, the UN Children’s agency, condemned the massacre in the strongest terms, stating that more than 450 civilians, including at least 35 children and two pregnant women, were killed in Shak Al-Noum and nearby Hilat Hamid.
“More than 450 civilians, including at least 24 boys, 11 girls, and two pregnant women, were reportedly killed in horrific attacks in communities around the city of Bara, including the villages of Shag Al-nom and Hilat Hamid, in Sudan’s North Kordofan State over the weekend. With dozens more injured and many still missing, we fear that the number of child casualties could rise further.”
“These attacks are an outrage. They represent a terrifying escalation of violence, and a complete disregard for human life, international humanitarian law, and the most basic principles of humanity.”
“UNICEF condemns the attacks in the strongest possible terms. We call on all parties to the conflict to end the violence immediately and to uphold their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.”
“Civilians – particularly children – must never be the target of attack. All alleged violations must be independently investigated, and those responsible held to account. Impunity cannot be tolerated for violations of international law, especially when children’s lives are at stake.”
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to anyone impacted by this heinous violence.”
“No child should ever experience such horrors. Violence against children is unconscionable and must end now,” Russel said in the statement.
A survivor identified by the AFP as Saleh Abdelrahim said “On Sunday, we collected the bodies from the village streets and inside the houses, and we buried 200 bodies.” He described the atrocity as “indescribable,” adding that “under artillery shelling, houses burned with their families inside.”
Similarly, the Sudanese human rights group Emergency Lawyers reported more than 200 victims from Shak Al-Noum, plus 38 more in neighboring villages. The next day, the group reported “another massacre” in the village of Hilat Hamid, killing at least 46 people.
The RSF now controls Bara town, roughly 5 kilometers south of the village, and continues to operate throughout large swathes of North Kordofan, including areas near the border with Omdurman Locality in Khartoum State.
Fighting west of El Obeid
Fighting escalated to the west of El Obeid, where RSF units advancing from West Kordofan briefly captured the strategic town of Umm Sumaymah on Sunday, a day after the village massacres. The RSF had earlier advanced from An-Nahud – seized last year and used as a staging ground – into Shaykan locality, where Umm Sumaymah lies just 50 km from the state capital.
In its statement, the RSF claimed a “significant triumph” and said its operation was part of a broader plan to push toward “enemy strongholds.” The group alleged that it inflicted over 470 deaths on SAF and its allies during the Umm Sumaymah assault and seized large quantities of weapons and equipment.
“Our forces have continued to consolidate their successive battlefield victories, achieving today, Sunday, a new and significant triumph with the liberation of the strategic area of ‘Umm Sumaymah,’ located west of El Obeid city in North Kordofan State.”
“This strategic advance comes as part of well-coordinated military plans being executed by our forces, aimed at expanding operational reach in preparation for a march toward the enemy’s strongholds and the main concentrations of its terrorist militias.”
“Today, our brave fighters inflicted a crushing defeat on the army… and its mercenaries, dealing the enemy heavy losses estimated at over 470 dead. Our forces also seized large quantities of weapons and military equipment (an inventory and documentation process is currently underway). Dozens of mercenaries from the terrorist army fled under the intense strikes of our heroes, who continue to pursue the remnants of the defeated enemy,” the RSF said in the statement.
Geolocated footage reviewed by Sudan War Monitor confirms RSF control of the town during the initial phase of the assault, with fighters appearing near a mosque in the northeastern sector of Umm Sumaymah (13° 7'46.47"N, 29°37'24.25"E).
However, SAF and allied forces from the Joint Forces of former Darfur rebel movements later retook the town, with video footage geolocated to the local health center showing Sudanese soldiers declaring the area under their control.
Following this counterattack, RSF elements withdrew westward to El-Khuwei in West Kordofan, a town that the RSF captured last month, but which had changed hand several times following the capture of Al-Nahud locality in early May.
The battle for Umm Sumaymah claimed a heavy toll, with unknown, but large number of fighters killed on both sides, including high-ranking commanders. Among the most notable losses was Brigadier General Al-Tahir Arjah, the Kordofan front mobile force commander of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) – a key faction within the Joint Force aligned with the Sudanese military.
His death was confirmed by JEM leader and Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, who described Arjah as “one of the knights of the Battle of Dignity,” and praised him as a symbol of sacrifice who fell “on the fields of honor and pride.”
In a statement, Ibrahim recounted the late commander's battlefield legacy, stating that Brig. Gen. Arjah, also known as Dr. Khalil/Al-Sayyad, played a pivotal role in several key operations, including the liberation of Wad Madani, the advance on Sinjah, and the push through Al Jazira State.
“May God accept Brigadier General Tahir Arja, commander of the mobile unit, Dr. Khalil/Al-Sayyad, who offered his pure soul today as a dowry to reclaim Umm Samima in righteousness, and may He grant him the highest paradise and console his family and people. The pure martyr was the first to cross the Wad Madani bridge during its liberation and was at the forefront of the forces that entered Al-Obeid and Al Debeibat,” Jibril said in the statement.
According to multiple field sources, Major General Osman Silek, the RSF operational commander who led the assault on Umm Sumaymah, was killed during the Sudanese military and Joint Forces' counteroffensive that ultimately retook the town.
Silek, who oversaw RSF operations along the Al-Khuwei–Shaykan axis, was reportedly wounded in the fighting and later died while being transported in a vehicle by RSF soldiers en route to Al-Khuwei, according to a video reviewed by Sudan War Monitor.
While the RSF has not officially acknowledged his death, senior RSF commander Major General Ahmed Goja confirmed the killing of Maj. Gen. Osman Silek in a recorded speech. Goja further cited operational setbacks and bureaucratic obstacles that, he claimed, undermined the effectiveness of the RSF’s campaign in the area.
The brief recapture of Umm Sumaymah is part of a wider battle for the arid Kordofan region, located between the Nile River Valley and the far-west Darfur region, the birthplace of the RSF. In recent months, Sudan’s army has tried to clear the road between El Obeid and the town of Dilling in South Kordofan State, which the RSF and SPLA-North have besieged.
Continued fighting in North, West, and South Kordofan risks triggering a new wave of displacement, as residents flee both aerial bombardments and ground assaults.
Videos
These videos are among many that Sudan War Monitor has reviewed as part of its open source monitoring efforts. Viewer discretion is advised.
In this video, a wounded and seemingly unconscious RSF commander Osman Silek is seen being transported inside a pickup truck by members of Rapid Support Forces after being allegedly wounded in the SAF counter-offensive.
In this RSF video, RSF fighters are seen operating in the northeastern outskirts of Umm Sumaymah shortly after overrunning the town, prior to its recapture by the Sudanese military. We geolocated this area to this location:13° 7'46.47"N, 29°37'24.25"E.
In this video, RSF combatants appear to be retreating under heavy gunfire while being aggressively pursued by the pro-Sudanese military coalition of former Darfur rebel groups known as the Joint Force, amid the Sudanese army’s counteroffensive.
In the below video, fleeing RSF soldiers pass a vehicle tipped over.
In this video, RSF fighters are seen assaulting a captured Sudanese army soldier. Sudan War Monitor geolocated the footage to the northern section of Umm Sumaymah, likely recorded prior to the Sudanese military’s counteroffensive.
In this video, Sudanese army soldiers film in front of the Umm Sumaymah health centre on April 14 just after regaining control of the town from the paramilitary group.
In this video, reportedly filmed in Shak Al-Noum, RSF fighters are seen mocking women and children as they flee from burning homes, moments after the village was set ablaze during a paramilitary assault. Sudan War Monitor cannot confirm the authenticity of the video, but it was the first time to be posted (April 14, 2025).
In this video, displaced civilians sits outside the city of Shak Al-Noum several hours after the RSF massacre that killed approximately 300 people, according to eyewitnesses and humanitarian organizations.