Wad An Nora massacre

Wad An Nora massacre
Part of War crimes during the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) and Aftermath of the battle of Wad Madani
Gezira State, Sudan
Location	Wad Al-Noora, Gezira State, Sudan
Coordinates	14°30′57″N32°30′41″E / 14.51583°N 32.51139°E / 14.51583; 32.51139
Date	5 June 2024 05:00 GMT+2 –
Attack type	Massacre, Looting
Deaths	150-200+
Injured	200+
Perpetrator	Rapid Support Forces
Defenders	Civilians of Wad Al-Noora, Sudanese Air Force

The Wad Al-Noora massacre started at around 05:00 (GMT+2) on 5 June 2024, when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the village of Wad Al-Noora in Al-Jazira state twice, killing at least 100 civilians. The massacre followed after the RSF sieged and opened fire on the village. ^[1]

Background

This section is an excerpt from Sudanese civil war (2023–present).[ edit ]

A civil war between two major rival factions of the military government of Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies (collectively the Janjaweed coalition) under the Janjaweed leader Hemedti, began during Ramadan on 15 April 2023. ^[2] Three minor (neutral) factions have participated in the fighting: Darfur Joint Protection Force, SLM (al-Nur) under Abdul Wahid al-Nur, and SPLM-N under Abdelaziz al-Hilu. Fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum (largest and initial battle of the war) and the Darfur region. ^{[3] [4]} As of 8 September 2024, at least 20,000 people had been killed ^[5] and 33,000 others were injured. ^[6] As of 5 July 2024, over 7.7 million were internally displaced and more than 2.1 million others had fled the country as refugees, ^{[7] [8]} and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the Masalit massacres. ^[9]

The war began with attacks by the RSF on government sites as airstrikes, artillery, and gunfire were reported across Sudan. The cities of Khartoum and Omdurman were divided between the two warring factions, with al-Burhan relocating his government to Port Sudan as RSF forces captured most of Khartoum's government buildings. Attempts by international powers to negotiate a ceasefire culminated in the Treaty of Jeddah in May 2023, which failed to stop the fighting and was ultimately abandoned. ^[10]

Over the next few months a stalemate occurred, during which the two sides were joined by rebel groups who had previously fought against Sudan's government. By mid-November, the Minni Minnawi and Mustafa Tambour factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement officially joined the war in support of the SAF, alongside the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). ^{[11] [12]} In contrast, the Tamazuj movement joined forces with the RSF, while the Abdelaziz al-Hilu faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North attacked SAF positions in the south of the country. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Starting in October 2023, momentum began to swing toward the RSF, as the paramilitary defeated army forces in Darfur and made gains in Khartoum State, Kordofan, and Gezira State. Since February 2024, the SAF has made gains in Omdurman. Since June 2024, the RSF has made gains in Sennar State. Further negotiations between the warring sides have so far produced no significant results, while many countries have provided military or political support for either al-Burhan or Hemedti. ^{[16] [17]}

As of September 2024, the SAF has made notable gains in Khartoum and Khartoum North (alternatively referred to as Bahri). ^[18]

Massacre

Civilian Resistance Committees reported that after stationing at Al-Nala office on the outskirts of the village, the RSF documented themselves using heavy shelling, heavy artillery fire, dual cannons, and quadruple cannons on the village. ^[19] The Sudanese Air Force dispersed the RSF and forced them to retreat to Al-Ashra neighbourhood nearby, looting the village. After this, the RSF mobilized dozens of vehicles and returned to the outskirts of Wad Al-Noora to surround and siege the village. ^[20] After meeting strong resistance from villagers despite the mismatch in weapon capabilities, the militia entered the village through the hospital. They proceeded to violently loot cars, markets, and homes, cut off network access in the village, spread their forces along the tops of buildings mosques, and randomly targeted citizens with firepower, with most of them being unarmed. No Sudanese Armed Forces reinforcements arrived to the village after the second assault on it started. ^[21]

Aftermath

Videos shared by the Committees of Madani showed the burial of dozens of citizens in a public square. ^[1] Among the deceased included Sudan News Agency journalist Makkawi Muhammad Ahmed. ^[22] Finding the full number of casualties was delayed due to network outages in the village, with preliminary fatality counts gradually moving from 100 deaths to 200 deaths. ^{[21] [23]}

Eyewitnesses to the attack claimed that the assailants would execute citizens who were already injured, and would target woman and children. The assault resulted in the forced displacement of all the surviving women and children in the village, many of them taking refuge in Al-Manaqil. Many of the survivors denounced the Sudanese Armed Forces for not sending in any reinforcements to defend the village during the second assault, despite many villagers requesting help.

The Rapid Support Forces justified the massacre on its official "X" account by claiming that the village held enemy Burhan and Mujahideen Brigades and that they were planning to attack their forces in the Jabal Awliya area in Khartoum. ^[23]

The Mashad Observatory for Human Rights strongly condemned the indiscriminate nature of the attacks and the resulting forced displacement of women and children as war crimes that violated human rights and international law. They called on the international community to speak out against the RSF, intervene to prevent further war crimes, and bring justice to those who were responsible.

The National Umma Party decried the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the RSF, and claimed that the assault represented a continuation of the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Darfur. They warned the international community of the possible consequences of remaining silent and not holding the RSF accountable for their genocidal actions, rape, and forced displacement.

A football field in the village was converted into a cemetery for the victims. ^[24]

References

1. "RSF commits massacre in Al-Jazirah village, leaving nearly 100 dead". Sudan Tribune. 2024-06-05. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
2. "Why Sudan's catastrophic war is the world's problem". The Economist. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
3. "100 days of conflict in Sudan: A timeline". Al Jazeera. 24 July 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
4. Steinhauser, Gabriele (12 August 2024). "War Tears Apart Sudan's Capital City". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
5. "UN official says Sudan's war has killed at least 20,000 people". Associated Press. 8 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
6. "UN humanitarian office raises alarm over fighting in eastern Sudanese state". Anadolu Agency . 19 December 2023. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024.
7. "Sudan Situation: UNHCR External Update #68, 28 June – 4 July 2024". reliefweb . 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
8. "IOM Sudan Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Sudan Mobility Update (2) Publication Date: 11 June 2024". reliefweb . 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
9. "Genocide returns to Darfur". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
10. "After one year of war, Sudan is a failing state". The Economist. 2024-04-15. ISSN   0013-0613. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
11. "SLM faction joins Sudanese army against RSF in Darfur". Sudan Tribune . 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
12. "Key Darfur groups join Sudanese army in its war against RSF paramilitary forces". 16 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
13. "South Kordofan residents flee as Sudan war escalates". al-Arabiya . 23 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
14. "Battle For Key Police Base Kills At Least 14 Sudan Civilians". Barron's . 26 June 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
15. "Tamazuj group aligns with RSF in Sudan's ongoing war". Sudan Tribune. 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
16. Abdelaziz, Khalid; Eltahir, Nafisar (6 December 2023). "Sudanese warring parties dig in as Jeddah talks falter again". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
17. Ahmadi, Ali Abbas (18 April 2023). "Who are the major international actors involved in Sudan's violence?". The New Arab . Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
18. "Sudan war: Army launches major attack on Khartoum against RSF". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
19. "ماذا حدث في ود النورة بولاية الجزيرة؟.. التفاصيل الكاملة" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-05.
20. Ghazal, Somoud (5 June 2024). "قوات الدعم السريع ترتكب مجزرة في ود النورة وسط السودان". The New Arab (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-05.
21. "ماذا حدث في ود النورة بولاية الجزيرة؟.. التفاصيل الكاملة" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-05.
22. "اغتالته ميليشيا التمرد..وكالة السودان للأنباء تنعي الزميل مكاوي محمد | نبض السودان" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-05.
23. "إدانات واسعة لـ «الدعم السريع» ..ارتفاع ضحايا مجزرة «ود النورة» بولاية الجزيرة إلى حوالي «200» قتيلاً من المدنيين – صحيفة التغيير السودانية , اخبار السودان" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-06.
24. "مجـ..ــزرة ود النورة.. تفاصيل لا تستطيع النظر اليها - الزاوية نت" (in Arabic). 2024-06-05. Retrieved 2024-06-05.