Paramilitary attacks kill at least 300 in SW Sudan in 2 days: gov't

KHARTOUM -- At least 300 people were killed in attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city of Al-Nuhood in West Kordofan State, southwestern Sudan, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

A ministry statement said the attacks occurred over the past two days and accused the RSF of committing "crimes against humanity," with the killings "carried out on an ethnic basis."

The ministry also reiterated its call for the United Nations Security Council and other international actors to end what it called "leniency" toward the RSF's actions.

Preliminary Committee of the Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, an independent humanitarian group, also confirmed the death toll of over 300, including 15 women and 21 children.

The RSF has not yet commented on the allegations.

On Friday, the RSF announced it had taken control of Al-Nuhood, seizing the headquarters of the Sudanese army's 18th Infantry Division in the city after clashes between the two sides.

The ongoing conflict between the army and the RSF, which started in mid-April 2023, has killed tens of thousands, displaced over 15 million people, and left Sudan facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations. The country's healthcare system has collapsed, and UN agencies warn that Sudan is on the brink of famine. Accurate casualty figures are difficult to verify, with war monitors estimating the death toll between 30,000 and 150,000.