On June 5, 2024, Wad al-Noura village in Gezira State, Sudan, witnessed the deaths of more than 100 individuals after the Rapid Support Forces stormed the area.
Reports on the death toll from the Wad al-Noura massacre vary widely, ranging from 150 to 200 fatalities, including children, women, and the elderly. This discrepancy is largely attributed to interruptions in communication and internet access in the region.
The Madani Resistance Committees published a video showing victims being buried in a public square, describing the events as a “full-fledged crime” committed by the Rapid Support Forces.
The Rapid Support Forces claimed that the army had mobilized significant forces in three large camps west of al-Manaqal, targeting them in Jabal Awliya in the capital, Khartoum. They stated that they attacked the camps housing members of the army, the General Intelligence Service, and the Zubair bin al-Awam Brigade located to the west, south, and north of the Wad al-Noura area.
Wad al-Noura is part of the locality of Al-Qurashi, located west of the city of Al-Manaqil. The village lies at the extension of the island project and the beginning of the borders of White Nile State, situated 66 km southeast of Qatina. It is commercially linked with Khartoum State, which is located to the south, approximately 225 km from the capital.
Sudanese political parties condemned the attack on Wad al-Noura, including the Sudanese National Umma Party and the Sudanese Congress Party. They called on civil society and human rights organizations to denounce the crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces.
The designated governor of Gezira State, Taher Ibrahim al-Khair, characterized the violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces in Wad al-Noura and its vicinity as “brutality” and a “war crime,” urging the international community to condemn these actions and hold the perpetrators accountable.
On the same day, June 5, 2024, several individuals were killed and injured in clashes between the Sudanese army and its allies in the joint forces on one side, and the Rapid Support Forces on the other, in various areas of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan.
Human Rights Watch has previously stated that the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur were conducting “ethnic cleansing” operations against “non-Arab” ethnicities.
Same Justice organization condemned the massacre in Wad al-Noura, characterizing the incident as a war crime that violates international humanitarian law. It called on relevant international organizations to investigate the incident, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure the protection of civilians from killings, forced displacement, and all acts of violence occurring in Sudan.
