The massacre of Wad-Al Nura village – local and global repercussions

THE majority of the residents of the village of Wad al-Nura, some 40km away from the city of Al Qurashi 24, Al Jazirah state, Sudan, hails from the al-Kawahla Hassanat tribe. 

The village is one of the smallest administrative units regarding the number of villages and population density in Al Qurashi 24. 

A popular resistance confronted the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia members after they attacked the area multiple times using civilian vehicles.

This forced the militia to launch a ferocious, retaliatory attack on May 6, 2024, using SPG9, dual, and DShK machine guns to breach the defences of the popular resistance, which was positioned approximately 6km west of the city. Ali Kabashi, a notorious rebel commander was among the attackers. 

Once in the area, the rebel RSF stole food, medicine and more than 20 cars, bringing them to the Gettina area. They killed all the resistance youth and hospital doctors. All the over 150 victims were interred in the district square. Over 100 wounded were taken to the city of Manakil for treatment. 

Fearing that the community might be attacked again, most villagers evacuated to other communities, primarily to the al-Qurashi region.  

Internal reactions

By the RSF militia

To justify their attack on Wad al-Nura, the rebel RSF militia claimed the Mujahideen Brigades had organised sizeable troops in West, South and North camps to launch an assault on the rebel forces located in Jabal Awlia. It attacked camps including soldiers from the army, and the intelligence agency et al precisely at 5 on Wednesday morning. 

The popular resistance

The leader of the resistance, Yusuf Izzat, stated for his part that the longer the war, the less political and moral justification for it. He further stated that no military or political party would be able to assert its authority through the war and that it was a moral and national obligation to them to adopt the position that ending both the war and social suffering is the right thing to do. 

This is in line with their goal of putting an end to all wars and establishing a state based on just principles that bring about peace for all. 

Political parties and organisations

Coordination-body of the Democratic & Civil Force (TAGADOM): Official coordination spokesman Bakri Al-Jak denounced the grave abuses perpetrated by the RSF militia against civilians in Al-Jazirah villages where over 100 people lost their lives.
 

He also urged the combatants to avoid civilian areas and to cease arming and recruiting them in all areas of conflict. Finally, he reiterated the demand for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire and the beginning of measures to protect civilians, beginning with the withdrawal of the parties' forces from cities and villages and engaging in talks to find a comprehensive solution to end the conflict. 

Sudanese Congress Party: They urged a stop to the abuses and a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the war in a statement that denounced the slaughter and labelled it a horrible crime. 
Umma National Party:  Condemning the slaughter as a war crime and holding the rebel Rapid Support militia entirely accountable, it called on human rights groups to denounce those acts.  

Popular Congress Party: The group led by Dr Amin Mahmoud denounced the world's silence on the crimes committed by the Janjaweed in their slaughter of the Sudanese people and demanded readiness and assistance for the Armed Forces as well as the vulnerable. 

Unionist Alliance Party:  They denounced the attack, citing breach of civilian protection limitations during hostilities and demanded that the Security Council, the UN, and regional and international tribunals establish an impartial fact-finding committee. 

Future Movement for Reform & Development: What transpired in Wad al-Nura's village is comparable to retaliatory campaigns and that is terrorism. 

National Movement for Building and Development: They said words such as denunciation and condemnation were too soft and insufficient to describe what the tyrants were doing. They also called for self-defence and the taking-up of arms. 

Revolutionary Charter for Establishing People’s Power:  They underlined the public disagreement with the militia's claim of military operations taking place in Wad al-Nura hamlet, and appealed to the world community to denounce the Janjaweed. 

National Current:  They likened the events in Wad al-Nura hamlet to a war crime and urged Sudanese political forces to denounce the militia and further work with human rights groups to besiege them. 

Popular Resistance: They acknowledged the Armed Forces' efforts and sacrifices and urged them to achieve more.

They said what happened in Wad al-Nura had turned out to boost the popular resistance and encourage young people to face the militia's threat. To them, armed popular resistance and uprising remain the only option. 

Sudanese Islamic Movement: They urge all Sudanese to support the Armed Forces, hone their resolve, arm the populace's resistance and use an iron hand. 

Republican Sudan Party: They are of the view that no spinning can whitewash the criminal act that took place in Wad al-Nura. Some party leaders opine that what happened in the village was a battle between the RSF and popular resistance and had nothing to do with unarmed homeowners. 

External reactions

There have also been external reactions to the attack. 

-  The United Nations (UN): Through its spokesman, Stephane de Garrick, requested abstinence from actions posing threats to civilians and infrastructure, expressed concern for the suffering caused by the conflict, called for firearm silence, and reaffirmed the UN's commitment to ending the conflict.

- The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Dr Ahmed Aboul Gheit sent his condolences to the families of the deceased. It stated that the League supports efforts to put an end to the strife in Sudan in a statement released on June 6, 2024, denouncing the slaughter in the hamlet of Wad al-Nura.

- Egyptian Al-Ahram Centre: According to Dr Amani Tawil, head of the African programme at the Al-Ahram Centre for Strategic Political Studies, the crime of Wad al-Nura would not be tolerated and would ultimately affect the political landscape inside nations as well as their respective stances.

- The African Union: Mr Moussa Faki, the Chairman of the African Union Commission, denounced the massacre and expressed concern over the worsening conditions in Sudan which he said could result in starvation in some areas of the nation. 

- He also urged the international community to end the war definitively without mentioning the Rapid Support Forces militia. 

The writer is an essayist and observer of the Horn of Africa