### Civilians Killed and Thousands Displaced in Sudan’s Gezira State Amid RSF Attacks

In the past several days, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have launched devastating attacks in Sudan's east-central Gezira state, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians and displacing thousands more. Aid organizations have reported the looting and vandalism of properties, with significant humanitarian consequences.

Several villages and towns in Gezira have been under siege by the RSF, which has been engaged in a prolonged conflict with the Sudanese army for over a year. Notably, the village of al-Sireha witnessed an intense assault that lasted three days, culminating in the death of 50 people in a single day. The extensive casualty list has been meticulously tracked and published by various aid groups.

Activists from the region have communicated with news agencies, revealing a tragic death toll of at least 50 individuals from attacks on Friday alone. Additionally, Sudan News (sudanakhbar) reports state that the conflict has so far claimed up to 124 lives and injured 200 others.

This violent conflict traces back to a power struggle, which erupted on April 15, 2023, between RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The ensuing violence has turned into one of the worst global humanitarian crises as more than 10 million people have fled their homes, according to United Nations data.

Recently, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have launched a significant offensive since September to reclaim Khartoum and its surrounding areas from RSF control. The recent defection of an RSF commander, Abuagla Keikal, to the SAF, has further escalated the situation. Initially a key RSF figure in Gezira, Keikal’s defection has provoked renewed and severe attacks by the RSF in his home regions.

Reports from the Resistance Committees, a network actively monitoring the conflict, confirmed that RSF assaults in al-Sireha led to over 50 fatalities and 200 injuries by late Friday. Additionally, in the village of Saqiaah, at least 12 people have been reported dead. Due to continuous RSF bombings and sniper attacks, rescue operations have been severely hindered, leaving many of the wounded without aid.

Ted Chaiban, the deputy head of UNICEF, has brought attention to the dire and overlooked humanitarian crisis in Sudan. He highlighted that the ongoing war has displaced over 14 million people, making it the largest displacement crisis globally. The United Nations estimates around 25.6 million Sudanese are at risk of acute hunger because of this conflict.

Humanitarian agencies, including UNICEF and UNHCR, are urgently calling for unrestricted access to deliver aid to those in need across Sudan. The violence has been marred by severe human rights violations, including mass rape and ethnic cleansing, with particular brutality directed at the western region of Darfur. The UN has categorized these atrocities as war crimes and crimes against humanity.