An investigation by BBC Verify has identified the individuals responsible for a massacre and subsequent mocking of survivors in Sudan as members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attack took place in al-Seriha in Gezira state, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 people, with reports suggesting the toll could be as high as 124. Eyewitnesses described unarmed civilians being gunned down by RSF fighters as they tried to flee the violence.
The massacre was allegedly triggered by the defection of a senior RSF commander in Gezira state to the country’s armed forces. Despite denials from an RSF spokesman, evidence suggests that the RSF was involved in the killings. The conflict between Sudan’s military authorities and the RSF has been condemned for widespread atrocities committed by both sides.
The BBC has obtained videos filmed by the fighters themselves, celebrating their actions and directly addressing the defected commander. The videos show RSF troops boasting about the attack on the town and killing locals. The BBC has verified the authenticity of these videos by comparing landmarks and buildings in the footage with satellite imagery of the town.
Eyewitness accounts and video evidence suggest that the massacre was carried out as retaliation for the commander’s defection. The RSF insignia seen on the uniforms of the fighters in the videos further implicates the group in the attacks. Human Rights Watch and the UN have also identified the RSF as responsible for the killings in al-Seriha and other towns in Gezira state.
The BBC has confirmed through video and photographic evidence that at least 82 bodies were laid out in the courtyard of a mosque in al-Seriha following the attack. Satellite images show freshly-dug earth mounds in the town cemetery, indicating a mass grave may have been dug to bury the victims. Survivors of the attack were reportedly taken for ransom by the fighters, who taunted and abused them in captivity.
The investigation by BBC Verify sheds light on the brutal actions of the RSF in Sudan and the atrocities committed during the power struggle between the military authorities and the paramilitary group. The detailed descriptions and images in this story may be distressing to some readers.