HRW Documented RSF Violations in South Kordofan
Moatinoon
Human Rights Watch stated that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias carried out widespread violations against civilians in the Hebila area of South Kordofan state, Sudan, from December 2023 to March 2024, during the conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N).
In a report published today, the organization said that these violations constitute war crimes, including killings, rapes, abductions of Nubian citizens, along with looting and destruction of homes. These events led to mass displacement, turning Hebila and its surroundings into ghost towns. The report emphasized that the attacks mainly targeted the Nubians, representing largely unreported war crimes.
The organization urged the United Nations and the African Union to act swiftly and send a mission to protect civilians in Sudan.
Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, the senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, "The violations by the RSF against civilians in South Kordofan reflect the ongoing crimes across Sudan. These new findings underscore the urgent need for the deployment of a mission to protect civilians in Sudan."
She added, "The United Nations and the African Union must take decisive steps to deploy a mission that can protect Sudanese civilians from destructive forces." He also mentioned, "A civilian protection mission could be deployed in areas where civilians have sought shelter but face severe humanitarian needs, such as the areas we visited in South Kordofan."
The report noted that Human Rights Watch researchers visited areas in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan, controlled by the SPLM-N, over a 16-day period in October. The researchers visited sites hosting tens of thousands of displaced people, mostly Nubians, who had fled areas controlled by the warring parties—Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces—fighting for control of the country, in South Kordofan and other regions in Sudan.
The researchers conducted interviews with 70 displaced people, including 40 survivors of RSF attacks on Hebila, Fayo, and nearby villages, and analyzed satellite images of the area from December 2023 to October 2024. They also spoke with 24 others, including aid workers, local officials, and others familiar with the region.
Human Rights Watch documented the killing of 56 unarmed individuals in these attacks, including 11 women and one child, based on interviews with witnesses. The RSF killed the victims either through execution inside their homes or by shooting them in the streets. The actual numbers are likely much higher, as most people fled in different directions after the attacks.
The organization also documented the rape of 79 women and girls, including instances of sexual slavery, based on interviews with survivors, witnesses, relatives, and friends of the victims.
Human Rights Watch said it sent a detailed summary of its findings, with specific questions, to Major Fatih Qurashi, spokesperson for the RSF, on November 25, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
