The Sudan Doctors Network reports that RSF-affiliated forces attacked villages in al-Murrah, North Kordofan, on the second day of Eid al-Adha, killing 27 civilians. The network called the killings a clear violation of international humanitarian law, and local authorities condemned the assaults. The incident comes amid intensified fighting in Kordofan and Darfur since April 2023, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
Eid Tragedy in Sudan: 27 Civilians Killed in Al-Murrah — Doctors' Network Blames RSF-Affiliated Forces
An empty checkpoint where a mannequin dressed as a soldier stands in downtown Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
A Sudanese medical monitoring group says forces linked to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked villages in the al-Murrah area west of Barah town in North Kordofan during the second day of Eid al-Adha, killing 27 civilians, including elderly residents.
The Sudan Doctors Network, which documents violence across the country, said the assaults on Thursday targeted communities with no military presence and worsened already "catastrophic humanitarian conditions" caused by the ongoing conflict.
"Targeting villages and civilian areas and liquidating citizens in this horrific manner constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," the network said in its statement.
North Kordofan's governing administration condemned the killings and warned that such crimes could further unite citizens behind the armed forces in defense of local and national stability.
Wider Conflict Context
The full-scale war between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023 after long-simmering tensions. The Kordofan region has become a major battleground, with fighting intensifying on multiple fronts and increasing use of drones.
The RSF and allied groups hold swaths of western Darfur and parts of Kordofan along the South Sudan border — areas that contain oil fields and gold deposits. The RSF has repeatedly clashed with army forces around Barah and other strategic locations.
Earlier this month, intense clashes in South Kordofan involving forces tied to the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North and the Otoro tribe left more than 61 people dead, including nine children. Last week, a drone strike on a busy market in central Sudan killed 28 people and wounded dozens more.
Humanitarian Toll
The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced roughly 13 million and pushed many areas toward famine. More than 30 million people now require humanitarian assistance. United Nations agencies and human-rights organizations have accused both sides of atrocities — including ethnic cleansing, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence — and aid groups warn the true toll may be higher because access to many conflict zones remains severely limited.
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