At least 43 people were killed and 37 injured when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled the town of Barah in North Kordofan, local humanitarian officials report. The attack is part of a sharp escalation in Sudan’s civil war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which has been ongoing since April 2023.

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Last week, the RSF seized El Fasher, Darfur’s final city under army control, after months of bombardment, siege, and starvation. Witnesses describe mass killings, and thousands remain missing.

Although the RSF claims it has ordered its forces to protect civilians, human rights groups and U.S. officials point out that the group is committing widespread atrocities and ethnic cleansing in Darfur.

On October 26, RSF forces claimed they had seized the headquarters of the Sudanese army’s 6th Infantry Division in El-Fasher, the main government stronghold in North Darfur, after 18 months of fighting. Days later, Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan confirmed the military’s withdrawal from the city.

The council expressed this position during a meeting held in the capital, Khartoum, in response to a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire.

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