In an area of Sudan recently reclaimed by the army after nearly two years under paramilitary control, Red Crescent workers in protective gear retrieved bodies from a well as shocked residents watched, Reuters reports.
Forensic teams identified at least 15 victims, most of whom had been shot in the head. Some, however, bore injuries suggesting they had been thrown into the well while still alive, said Hisham Zain al-Abdin, director of forensic medicine for Khartoum state.
Additional corpses have been discovered abandoned along roadsides and hidden in basements in the district of Sharg Elnil. Some victims were found bound, indicating possible executions, Zain al-Abdin added.
“There were horrifying scenes here,” he remarked.
As Sudan’s civil war nears its two-year mark, government forces have gained ground in areas long held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which split from the military in April 2023. Authorities claim they are uncovering extensive evidence of killings in former RSF strongholds.
The RSF is yet to make a comment on it. Previously, it has denied allegations of widespread human rights abuses in its controlled territories, asserting that any individual perpetrators would be held accountable. The paramilitary group has also accused the army of committing similar atrocities—claims the military has dismissed.
Hussein Al-Faki, a local resident who reported the bodies to officials, recounted that civilians had attempted to bury the victims. However, RSF fighters occupying the area had warned them to stay away.
