Sudan’s Gezira state has become the latest battleground in the country’s escalating conflict, with over 100 civilians killed and thousands forced to flee after days of attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to aid groups and local sources.
The RSF reportedly struck multiple towns and villages across east-central Gezira, vandalizing public and private property.
In al-Sireha, one of the most heavily impacted areas, 50 people were killed in a single day, while 200 others sustained injuries.
According to a network of local activists, the death toll from the recent wave of violence has climbed to 124, with attacks intensifying following the defection of former RSF commander Abuagla Keikal. Keikal, once the RSF’s top commander in Gezira, defected on October 20, fueling reprisals in his home region of El Gezira and nearby areas.
Amgad Faried, a Sudanese politician and director of the Fikra think tank, attributed the brutal attacks to Keikal’s recent switch of allegiance, noting the RSF’s retaliation against east El Gezira and al-Butana, regions tied to Keikal’s roots. The RSF has previously been linked to war crimes in the region, with resistance committees and local youth groups reporting an intensified humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s deputy head, stressed the severity of Sudan’s “forgotten crisis,” which has become one of the most extreme displacement situations globally. The ongoing violence since April 2023 has left millions homeless, while eastern Gezira has been turned into a “brutal war zone,” according to the Sudan Doctors Union. UNICEF estimates that 25.6 million Sudanese are expected to face acute hunger this year due to the conflict, creating one of the most challenging humanitarian crises in recent memory.
