New report details RSF atrocities in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, calls for international probe

New report details RSF atrocities in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, calls for international probe

The report documented 23 confirmed cases of rape during the review period but warned that the actual number is likely much higher due to stigma and fear of retaliation.

A Sudanese human rights group has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias of committing war crimes and orchestrating ethnic cleansing in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains region, using rape, abductions, and starvation as tools of terror against local communities.

According to a new report by the Adala Project, attacks carried out between April 2023 and January 2025 were not isolated incidents but part of a coordinated campaign aimed at eradicating the Nuba people.

The findings are based on survivor testimonies, eyewitness accounts, and verified digital evidence.

"What is occurring in the Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan constitutes systematic ethnic cleansing, where the bodies of women and girls are being weaponised as instruments of this eradication campaign," stated the group, as reported by The Sudan Tribune.

The report documented 23 confirmed cases of rape during the review period but warned that the actual number is likely much higher due to stigma and fear of retaliation.

Kidnapped and raped

One particularly harrowing case involved 11 women from two villages in Dilling who were kidnapped and raped in July 2024. That same month, three more women—aged 25, 28, and 74—were gang-raped on their farm by eight RSF soldiers.

The report further revealed that 79 women and girls, many of them from Habila, were held in sexual slavery after being captured by RSF troops in late 2023.

Adala also accused the RSF of conducting mass abductions. On February 9, 2024, RSF fighters reportedly raided villages in Tanaqal and Al-Zaltaya, killing seven young men and abducting 13 girls.

Another incident on December 29, 2024, saw 18 women taken from the outskirts of Dilling. The RSF allegedly accused them of espionage and threatened to burn them alive before releasing them after days of captivity.

While the bulk of the report focuses on atrocities committed by the RSF, it also highlights violence by other armed groups. In February 2025, clashes between the Sudanese army and SPLM-N rebels in Kadugli led to the deaths of 41 civilians, including 29 women and girls.

The humanitarian situation in the Nuba Mountains has also deteriorated, with aid access severely restricted.

In April 2025, the local government suspended the operations of 20 humanitarian organisations, and several volunteers were reportedly arrested while trying to assist civilians.

The Adala Project is now calling for an international investigation into the alleged atrocities, a permanent ceasefire, and the prosecution of those responsible.

Reader Comments

Trending

Latest Stories

Popular Stories This Week

Stay ahead of the news! Click ‘Yes, Thanks’ to receive breaking stories and exclusive updates directly to your device. Be the first to know what’s happening.