At least 100 people were killed Wednesday when the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked a village in Gezira State, according to local activists.
If confirmed, the attack would be the latest in a string of dozens of attacks by RSF soldiers on small villages across the farming state after it took control of the capital Wad Madani in December.
A telecommunications blackout prevented Reuters from immediately reaching medics or residents to verify the death toll.
"Wad Alnoura village ... witnessed a genocide on Wednesday after the RSF attacked twice, killing up to 100 people," the pro-democracy Wad Madani Resistance Committee said in a statement on social media late Wednesday.
Later, it put the number of dead in the hundreds and said the Sudanese army had not heeded a request for help.
The RSF began fighting the army in April 2023 after disputes over the integration of the two forces and has since taken over the capital Khartoum and most of western Sudan.
It is now seeking to advance into the center, as United Nations agencies say the people of Sudan are at "imminent risk of famine."
In a statement Wednesday, the RSF said it had attacked army and allied militia bases around Wad Alnoura but did not acknowledge any civilian casualties.
But the Wad Madani Resistance Committee accused it of using heavy artillery against civilians, looting, and driving women and children to seek refuge in the nearby town of Managil.
Wad al-Noura massacre.
June 5, 2024
Wad al-Noura, Gezira state, #Sudan pic.twitter.com/ZnboS95bvx
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) June 5, 2024
It shared photos of dozens of bodies wrapped for burial in an open square among large crowds of men.
"The people of Wad Alnoura called on the army to rescue them, but they shamefully did not respond," the committee said.
The army-aligned Transitional Sovereign Council condemned the attack.
"These are criminal acts that reflect the systematic behavior of these militias in targeting civilians," it said in a statement.
