KHARTOUM / ISTANBUL

The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) said Tuesday that five of its volunteers were killed and three others remain missing in the central city of Bara in North Kordofan state amid attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“Social media circulated a video showing the torture and beating of members of the Red Crescent volunteer team in Bara, a scene that shames humanity,” the agency said in a statement.

The organization, however, did not assign blame to any specific party.

Earlier Tuesday, activists shared videos on social media showing individuals assaulting civilians wearing Red Crescent uniforms.

Local media outlets reported that the assailants belonged to the RSF, though the rebel group has not issued an immediate response.

The society said that it was “deeply concerned after losing contact with its team in the city of El-Fasher” in western Sudan.

El-Fasher, a key city serving as a humanitarian hub for five Darfur states, has been witnessing fierce clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF following an offensive launched by the paramilitary group on the besieged city, which it claimed control over on Sunday.

Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan confirmed Monday that army forces had withdrawn from the city to prevent further “systematic destruction and killing” of civilians by the RSF.

More displacements

In a related development, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday that around 1,850 Sudanese fled their homes Monday from North Kordofan due to “worsening insecurity.”

“In Umm Dawm Haj Ahmad town, North Kordofan, field teams estimated that about 1,000 people were displaced on Oct. 27 due to deteriorating security conditions,” the UN agency said in a statement.

“Around 285 others fled the city of Umm Rawaba the same day, also because of increasing insecurity,” it added.

On Monday, RSF fighters reportedly attacked Umm Dawm Haj Ahmad, committing abuses against civilians, according to local sources. The RSF has denied targeting civilians.

Since April 15, 2023, the army and the RSF have been locked in a war that numerous regional and international mediations have failed to end. The conflict has killed about 20,000 people and displaced over 15 million as refugees and internally displaced persons, according to UN and local reports.