Mashad Observatory: Targeting Civilians and Tribal
Leaders in North Kordofan Is a Crime Against Humanity Revealing the Dangerous Intent of the Rapid Support Forces to Eliminate Tribes Opposed to the War
The Mashad Observatory strongly condemns the horrific crime committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Kordofan State, which constitutes a grave and flagrant violation of the principles of international humanitarian law and the most basic moral and human values. The RSF deliberately targeted civilian gatherings and tribal leaders from communities that refused to take part in the war or align themselves with it—an explicit attempt to subjugate local society through intimidation, killing, and collective retaliation.
According to reliable field information received by the Observatory from local sources and eyewitnesses, the RSF carried out repeated attacks on various areas across North Kordofan, resulting in the killing of the paramount chief of the Al-Majanin tribe and more than fifteen civilians, including prominent community leaders and local chiefs. The assaults also caused serious injuries among dozens of innocent civilians, terrorized women and children, and forced numerous families into displacement.
The Mashad Observatory considers this heinous act a fully constituted crime against humanity in its intent, execution, and consequences, as it was carried out on the basis of tribal and social identity discrimination. This is a flagrant breach of the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and it further demonstrates the expanding pattern of systematic violations perpetrated by the RSF throughout Sudan against unarmed civilians.
This crime represents not only an attack on civilian lives but also a direct assault on the traditional system of tribal administration and an attempt to dismantle the social fabric that has long served as the foundation for coexistence and communal peace. The Observatory affirms that the continuation of such violations without accountability deepens social divisions, threatens the unity and stability of the country, and undermines prospects for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace.
Mashad Observatory holds the Rapid Support Forces fully responsible for these heinous crimes and calls on the United Nations, the African Union, and regional and international human rights mechanisms to take urgent action to open an independent and transparent international investigation into these violations and ensure that all those responsible are held accountable before international justice. The Observatory also urges the International Criminal Court to expand its ongoing investigations in Sudan to include this incident and other similar crimes targeting civilians on the basis of tribal affiliation or political stance.
The Observatory reiterates that impunity constitutes a second crime against the victims and stresses that achieving justice and redress for the affected is a fundamental prerequisite for any genuine peace process and for a safe and stable future for Sudan. It further emphasizes the urgent need to protect civilians and to take effective measures to halt the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in North Kordofan and across the country.
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