Stories

Tragedy in Umm Kadada: ``The Rapid Support Forces Killed Our Only Doctor,`` Says Survivor

Sudan Media Forum

By Fath Al-Rahman Hamouda | Umm Kadada, August 4, 2025 (altaghyeer)

As Sudan’s war enters its third year, stories of survival and human suffering continue to emerge from conflict zones—many of them harrowing, some barely believable. Among the regions most affected is Darfur, where grave human rights violations have been committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

One of the most chilling accounts comes from Umm Kadada, a town in North Darfur, approximately 187 kilometers southeast of El Fasher. In April 2025, the RSF swept through the town, leaving a trail of destruction. A young man in his twenties, identified only as A.J., shared with Al-Taghyeer the story of how he and thousands of others survived the assault.

"When the RSF entered Umm Kadada, it felt like the ground beneath us vanished," he begins. "I hid inside a house in my neighborhood for hours, peeking through cracks in the wall, listening to the thunder of heavy gunfire. Death felt near."

From his hiding place, A.J. watched in horror as civilians were gunned down, markets looted, and the town’s spirit crushed. "It was a living nightmare," he says. "Every sound was terrifying. Every second felt like it could be my last."

"A Massacre, Not a Battle"
According to A.J., the worst came on Thursday morning. "The RSF attacked us mercilessly, like monsters from a nightmare," he says. "Many of our people, armed only with sticks or old rifles, tried to protect their homes and livestock."

What followed, he recalls, was not a battle—it was a massacre. Over 300 people were killed that day, most of them young men, friends, and neighbors. "They were the best of us," A.J. says.

While the RSF claimed a military victory in Umm Kadada and posted on Telegram that it had "liberated" the area by capturing the 24th Infantry Brigade base, local sources told Al Jazeera that popular resistance forces, backed by local communities, fought back and inflicted heavy losses on the attackers. All reports agree that the town saw intense fighting.

"They Killed Our Only Doctor"
By sunset, A.J. says, people were no longer thinking about defending their homes—they were simply trying to survive. Then came more devastating news: the town’s only doctor had been killed by the RSF. "That was the breaking point," A.J. says. "They weren’t sparing anyone—children, elders, women. We had no choice but to flee."

A.J. and three other young men fled barefoot through dark streets. "Every sound made our hearts race," he remembers. "If they caught us, it would’ve been execution."

They took a hidden route known only to locals and headed for Mount Mandoul, a rugged highland still untouched by RSF forces. When they reached it, they felt a brief moment of relief—but their journey was far from over. They still had to reach Umm Sidra, a town 75 kilometers away.

A Town in Collapse
Along the way, they saw children and elders collapsed by the roadside, some sobbing, others too exhausted to speak. "Umm Kadada was bleeding," A.J. says. "People were fleeing in waves, but no one knew where they were going. They just knew they had to run."

Their path took them through Project Village and into Zarafa, east of Umm Kadada. There, they found nothing but ashes, smoke, and searing thirst. "We walked for a full day without a single drop of water," he says.

When they finally reached Umm Sidra, it was the first time they believed they might survive. But they weren’t alone. Thousands of displaced people had also arrived, all seeking refuge from the inferno behind them.

The conditions in Umm Sidra, however, were dire. "The town wasn’t prepared for this many people," A.J. explains. "Resources were scarce, and shelters were few. In just days, the number of displaced people ballooned to over 27,000."

“I saw mothers crying over sick children, people lying on the ground without blankets, and entire families living under the sun with no roof over their heads. Every face told a story of tragedy.”

“We Survived, But We Are Not the Same”
A.J. closes his account with quiet heartbreak. "Yes, we survived—but we are not the same. We left behind the dead, burned homes, and dreams that will never come true. Everything we knew is now just a painful memory. We didn’t leave because we wanted to—we left because death was closer than life.”
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This story is published by Sudan Media Forum and its member institutions as part of their effort to document the impact of the war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces—told through the voices of its survivors.