RSF attacks kill 50 in Khartoum in one week

This picture shows the burnt and heavily damaged facilities of the Jaili Oil Refinery, Sudan's largest, north of the capital Khartoum on March 18, 2025. [AFP]

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed at least 50 people in Khartoum during the past week, rescuers said Wednesday, as fighting with the army for control of the capital intensifies.

"Khartoum is experiencing tragic conditions, with citizens in multiple areas facing widespread violations by the RSF and allied militias," the Khartoum Emergency Response Room, part of a network of volunteers coordinating aid across Sudan, said in a statement.

The group said about 70 people, including 12 volunteers, had been abducted during the past week, and that forced displaced had sharply increased in the capital's centre, south, and east.

Cases of sexual violence had also been reported, though the exact numbers remained unclear due to fear and social stigma, the group said.

Malnutrition, it added, had reached "dangerous" levels, leaving seven children dead since the start of March.

The United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, says about 3.2 million children are expected to face malnutrition in Sudan this year.

Famine has been declared in three displacement camps in the western region of Darfur as well as parts of the Nuba mountains in the south, according to a UN-backed assessment.

The war between the RSF and the army, which began in April 2023, has escalated in recent months, with the army seeking to reclaim territory in Khartoum and beyond.

In a video address shared Saturday on Telegram, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo appeared wearing a kadamol headscarf, often associated with RSF fighters, and declaring his troops "will not leave the Republican Palace".

The army said on Monday that its forces advancing on Khartoum from the south had converged with troops in the capital's centre, increasing pressure on rival paramilitary fighters and inching closer to retaking the city.

Nationwide, the conflict has killed tens of thousands, uprooted more than 12 million, and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.

In Khartoum alone, at least 3.5 million people have been forced from their homes due to the violence while at least 100,000 people are facing acute famine conditions, according to the United Nations.