Survivors of Sharq al-Noum: “They even burnt children in flames”
22 August 2025
On 12 July, the Rapid Support Forces attacked Sharq al-Noum village in North Kordofan State. The assault was part of a series of attacks on multiple villages in the Bara locality that took place between 10 and 13 July this year.
The vicious attack was not an isolated incident but a deliberate component of a larger Rapid Support Forces (RSF) campaign to encircle and seize El-Obeid, the strategic capital city of North Kordofan State. The accounts from survivors paint a harrowing picture, with RSF burning and looting homes and shooting defenceless villagers who attempted to flee. “When the attack began, there were so many bullet casings you could probably fill a sack,” said Fatima*, who managed to flee the violence and now lives without shelter in El Obeid. “Corpses were scattered on the ground like animals.”
The exact number of casualties from the attack on Sharq al-Noum and surrounding villages is unclear, reflecting the limited access on the ground to Sudan’s conflict zones. The Sudan Emergency Lawyers, pro-bono lawyers who support the conflict-affected, cite 200 deaths in Sharg al-Noum alone. Others, however, estimate both lower and even greater figures.
Using satellite imagery and open-source data, the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) and Sudan Witness found “extensive burn scars” across Sharq al-Noum, suggesting deliberate arson. Verified online footage also showed what appeared to be the bodies and burials of civilians killed in the attack.
The immediate consequence of the attack was mass displacement. According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an estimated 675 households were displaced from Sharq al-Noum and nearby villages between July 11 and July 12. The majority of the displaced fled to the army-controlled El Obeid, which is already sheltering an estimated 137,000 displaced people. Many have arrived having lost everything and now live in the open without shelter ahead of the rainy season.
