Local sources have described a large-scale massacre in the area known as Khashm al-Wadi, following an attack carried out two days ago by joint forces, which the sources say were operating under the protection of the Sudanese army, against a number of villages and civilian settlements.
According to multiple local accounts, the operation began in Al-Ban Jadid and Al-Olouba, as well as neighbouring pastoral communities, before the forces advanced deeper into Khashm al-Wadi, reaching the Al-Hamra area. Residents and community leaders estimate that more than 200 civilians were killed, most of them elderly people, women and children.
Witnesses say armed forces entered villages without warning, moving house to house and making no distinction between combatants and civilians. The assault was marked by systematic killings inside residential areas and acts of extreme violence, which survivors described as unprecedented in scale and brutality.
In addition to the killings, sources report the widespread looting of livestock, with large herds seized and transported eastwards to areas including Al-Zalat, Kazqil, Shoshaya and Al-Riyash. These locations are collectively referred to by local communities as part of the wider Khashm al-Wadi region.
The affected areas are largely populated by members of the Hawazma, Bedairiya and Shanabla communities. Several residents remain unaccounted for, with families saying they have received no information about their fate, raising fears that the death toll may continue to rise.
Local leaders and families of the victims have accused the forces involved of committing grave violations of international humanitarian law, and are calling for an urgent, independent investigation. They say the lack of accountability for previous attacks has emboldened armed groups and deepened a climate of fear among rural communities already devastated by the conflict.
As of now, there has been no official statement from the Sudanese authorities addressing the allegations.
