“Execution Squads” of the UAE-Backed Militia Roam Bara

Humanitarian workers have reported horrifying accounts of the situation faced by civilians who fled the city of Bara, North Kordofan State, following its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia on October 25, 2025.

Nadine, a humanitarian worker based in El-Obeid, said that the RSF militia stormed homes immediately after entering Bara and opened fire directly on civilians across most residential neighborhoods, leaving hundreds of victims, according to preliminary figures. She added that some of the displaced persons (IDPs) confirmed that the militia prevented families from transporting the bodies of victims to public cemeteries, forcing them to bury the dead inside their homes.

Hospitals in El-Obeid have received dozens of wounded, including critical cases, many of whom were transported under tragic conditions—on foot or by donkey carts.

Thousands of IDPs who fled to El-Obeid are now facing severe humanitarian deterioration, as volunteers in emergency rooms and community kitchens (takayas) work to provide daily meals for those affected. Some of the escapees recounted that they had to place women on donkey carts and travel for hours to flee Bara before being forced back by RSF militia fighters.

Nadine confirmed that the militia pursued civilians along the roads, preventing them from escaping, and carried out mass executions on allegations that residents were affiliated with the army — acts described by one displaced survivor as “roaming death squad executions.”

At the end of October, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk announced that his office had received credible reports of mass executions of civilians in Bara, urging the RSF militia to comply with international humanitarian law.

The Kordofan region is witnessing a sharp escalation in military operations between the army and the RSF militia, amid warnings from humanitarian and international organizations that continued escalation threatens the lives of more than 1.5 million people, especially as public life has come to a halt in areas under militia control.