Sudanese pro-army militia accused of ‘war crimes’ after targeting civilians
Source: Human Rights Watch says attack by Sudan Shield Forces on village in January killed at least 26 people, including a child
People walk past damaged buildings in Wad Madani, which was retaken by the Sudanese army a month earlier, in Sudan’s al-Jazira state on 11 February 2025 (AFP)
Published date: 25 February 2025 11:45 GMT | Last update: 55 mins 41 secs ago
A militia allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has been accused of war crimes in Sudan after an attack on a village in January that left at least 26 civilians dead, including one child.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Sudan Shield Forces, which supports the SAF in its fight against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), “intentionally” targeted the village of Tayba on 10 January.
The New York-based rights group said the militia also systematically looted civilian property, including food supplies, and set fire to houses.
The Sudan Shield Forces, along with other allied militias, attacked civilians in al-Jazira state who they perceived to be aligned with the RSF.
Tayba is 30km east of al-Jazira’s capital, Wad Madani, and home to people primarily from the Tama, Bergo and Mararit ethnic groups.
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Eyewitnesses told HRW that members of the Sudan Shield Forces, formed in 2022 mainly from Arab communities of al-Jazira state, hurled racist abuse at locals while attacking the village.
They described widespread “looting of money, food, and livestock, including 2,000 cattle”.
“Armed groups fighting alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces have carried out violent abuses against civilians in their latest offensive in Gezira state,” said Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, senior crisis, conflict and arms researcher at HRW.
“The Sudanese authorities should urgently investigate all reported abuses and hold to account those responsible, including the commanders of the Sudan Shield Forces.”
Sudan’s RSF massacres 433 people as it forms parallel ‘peace government’
War has raged in Sudan since April 2023, with millions displaced and both sides accused of war crimes and human rights abuses.
The conflict has displaced more than 10 million people, and left over 12 million facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Thousands are estimated to have been killed.
The RSF, which is backed by the UAE and has been accused of committing genocide by the US and human rights groups, controls most of Darfur and parts of Khartoum and the region of Kordofan.
Last week it launched a brutal three-day attack, killing 433 people in White Nile state, as its leaders arrived in Kenya to announce a parallel “peace and unity” government.
Sudan’s foreign ministry said infants were among those killed in White Nile in what it describes as “the worst atrocity” committed by the RSF since “the genocide in Geneina and Ardamita” in August and November 2023.
“This horrific massacre confirms that the militia’s war is actually against the entire Sudanese people,” the ministry added.
Emergency Lawyers, a group of lawyers who monitor the war in Sudan, said the RSF attacked unarmed civilians, including women and children, in al-Kadaris and al-Khalwat, villages in rural parts of el-Geteina in White Nile state.
It said that the paramilitary group carried out field executions, kidnappings, enforced disappearances and looting of property, putting the death toll at 200.