For two months, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been carrying out widespread violations against civilians in West Kordofan State, including killings and looting, which have triggered mass displacement, leaving thousands facing an uncertain fate.
The abuses have been concentrated in the towns of En Nahud and Al-Khuwei and their surrounding villages, which were overrun by the RSF in early May. As a result, there has been a mass exodus of residents to El-Obeid and Al-Mazroub in North Kordofan State, while others fled westward to areas such as Um Uwaisha and Saq Al-Jamal, with some forced to live in the open, according to testimonies collected by Sudan Tribune.
Witnesses report that RSF fighters swept through hundreds of villages along the 98-km stretch between En Nahud and Al-Khuwei, engaging in large-scale looting of citizens’ property, including livestock and agricultural produce.
In mid-May, RSF gunmen raided the Khamsat area—a cluster of about five villages—killing 30 civilians, including the village elder Abdel-Baqi Gharib, in a massacre documented by human rights defenders and activists.
The RSF also attacked Jabr Al-Dar, Al-Ruwaina, Akirat, and Um Uwaisha, where residents suffered extensive looting. Dozens of young men were detained and remain unaccounted for, with local sources suggesting they were likely transferred to Darfur.
The violations extended to northern Al-Khuwei, affecting villages such as Nablat and Shalouta, as well as dozens of other scattered communities.
Shock and Fear
Thousands are living in shock and fear after witnessing horrific crimes committed by RSF fighters from Darfur against residents of En Nahud, Al-Khuwei, and surrounding areas—atrocities described as “unprecedented for the local population,” according to testimonies heard by Sudan Tribune.
Fatima Omar, a displaced woman who reached El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, after an arduous day-and-a-half trek, recounted the RSF assault on Al-Khuwei and its accompanying abuses:
“After army troops and the joint force withdrew from the town at dawn, RSF fighters flooded into neighborhoods on foot, motorcycles, and combat vehicles, committing heinous crimes—whipping people, shooting them in the legs, and aiming directly at men’s chests, especially young men, killing many after accusing them of supporting the army,” she said.
Fatima also described RSF fighters storming dozens of homes in search of what they called ‘remnants’ and army elements hiding inside:
“They smashed doors, forced their way into homes, and assaulted everyone inside—men, women, and the elderly alike. Soldiers shouted: ‘Bring out the remnants! Bring out those who slaughtered livestock for the army when it controlled the town!’”
She added that the constant violations and insecurity forced thousands to flee on grueling journeys lacking sufficient food and water, leading to deaths among the elderly and pregnant women from hunger and thirst. RSF fighters reportedly destroyed water sources along the route and looted or spilled the little water displaced families carried.
Ethnically Targeted Abuses
The RSF campaign in En Nahud and Al-Khuwei was marked by ethnically motivated violence against members of the Hamar tribe, accused of siding with the army. Numerous tribal leaders, merchants, teachers, and community elders were executed. Witnesses report that RSF fighters deliberately targeted anyone linked to the “Hamar Sar Union,” a tribal body allied with the army, which maintains a reserve force led by Hamad Safi.
Activists documented the killing of many Hamar reserve force members, some inside their homes, including senior commander Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Shaqqa, who was killed in Al-Khuwei after fleeing there following the RSF takeover of En Nahud.
Looting of Warehouses
According to local sources and eyewitnesses, the RSF looted all crop warehouses in En Nahud, a major trade hub for cash crops such as sesame, gum arabic, and peanuts. They transported more than 20,000 sacks each of peanuts and sesame, along with large quantities of oils, tons of sorghum, hibiscus, and gum arabic, to South and East Darfur using large trucks seen passing through neighboring Wad Banda locality in North Darfur.
The RSF also looted all storage facilities in
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