Who is behind one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict?

Warning: This text comprises particulars that some readers might discover distressing.

For 40-year-old farmer Ali Ibrahim, the nightmare started within the late afternoon of June 5 with the sound of heavy weapons.

“We’ve by no means seen such shelling since we have been younger,” he recalled. “The bombing lasted for 4 hours. Homes have been destroyed, youngsters screamed, and girls and the aged fled helplessly.”

In accordance with estimates by native resistance committee volunteers, at the least 100 civilians have been killed within the assault within the village of Sultan Wadnura that day.

Mr Ibrahim mentioned the villagers have been unarmed: “We’re easy farmers. We’ve by no means carried weapons. We’ve no enemies. We’re simply residents attempting to guard our lives.”

The BBC heard testimonies from a number of survivors who accused gunmen from the Speedy Help Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group preventing the Sudanese military, of attacking the village twice in a row with heavy weapons. Dozens of residents have been killed or injured.

The alleged loss of life toll from the incident would make it one of many worst incidents involving civilians for the reason that conflict between the military and Docs With out Borders started in April 2023.

The BBC managed to talk to a number of survivors of the Vadnoulla assault, who’re at the moment present process therapy at Managir Authorities Hospital and have been transferred there for therapy.

Journalists may analyze the movies they share.

The hospital is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the village, and plenty of survivors arrived there hours after the assault. In accordance with their testimony, MSF troops additionally tried to stop them from leaving the village and robbed most of their automobiles.

After experiencing “hours of terror” through the bombing, residents frantically tried to discover a approach to transport the wounded and bury these killed within the shelling, with Médecins Sans Frontières conducting a raid on their village early the following morning. A second mass assault left residents “shocked,” a survivor on the hospital instructed the BBC.

“They got here into our home, beat me and my siblings, and requested, ‘The place is the gold?’. My little sister was scared and requested my mom to present them the gold.”

This account is in step with these of different survivors, who all confirmed that MSF forces “attacked the village from three instructions, getting into homes, killing civilians and looting valuables, together with gold, vehicles and saved agricultural merchandise”.

Hamad Suleiman, 42, a retail service provider, mentioned armed Docs With out Borders fighters entered his brother’s home and began capturing with out warning.

“I went to my brother’s home and located them there… They shot my brother and my nephew, and the opposite nephew was injured and is within the hospital with me.”

He mentioned he tried to motive with the Médecins Sans Frontières fighters and requested them why they killed his household.

“I attempted speaking to them they usually requested me to recite the Shahadah [The Islamic profession of faith that is recited when the feeling of death is near]. They shot me within the hand and ran away… They looted all of the vehicles.

“I used to be injured and could not discover a approach out for hours.”

The BBC contacted Docs With out Borders for its response to survivor testimonies and allegations of assault, killings, theft and intimidation. We had not obtained any response on the time of publication of this report.

At some point after the incident, Docs With out Borders spokesperson Al-Fateh Qurashi posted a video assertion on X (previously Twitter) denying that their forces have been focusing on civilians.

He mentioned troops engaged components of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and intelligence providers, often known as “Al Mustanfaron”, a militia armed with small arms and allied to the SAF, who have been on the time of the assault. Proper within the village.

The BBC’s fact-finding crew analyzed movies offered by Docs With out Borders which they claimed depicted the websites and trenches utilized by Al Mustanfaron in Wad al-Nourah. The evaluation confirmed that these websites have been positioned exterior the village, not inside it.

The evaluation additionally confirmed that Médecins Sans Frontières members opened fireplace on the village with heavy weapons from a few mile away.

Wad al-Nourah is much like lots of of villages unfold throughout Al Jazira state. Most residents work in agriculture and commerce, and there’s a small weekly market the place merchants from neighboring villages come to purchase and promote livestock and crops.

MSF took management of Gezira state, south of the capital Khartoum, in December 2023 and has been accused of quite a few abuses in opposition to civilians within the space, which MSF has repeatedly denied.

Gezira area is likely one of the areas most affected by the conflict, the place preventing unfold within the early levels of the battle. It has additionally turn out to be a refuge for hundreds of displaced folks fleeing Khartoum and Darfur.

Village after village has been hit by violence since Docs With out Borders took management of the world late final 12 months.

MSF continues to disclaim accusations of conflict crimes together with killing, looting, rape and burning villages, as a substitute pointing the finger at what it calls “unruly” folks.

Sudan has been plunged into chaos since April final 12 months as a vicious energy wrestle between the military and highly effective paramilitary teams has left hundreds useless and compelled 10 million to flee their houses.

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nquita-Salami, known as for a complete and clear investigation to determine the circumstances of the assault on Waad Noura.

Villagers who’ve misplaced dozens of kinfolk desire a fee of inquiry to be established and the perpetrators dropped at justice as a substitute of escaping punishment as Sudan has carried out prior to now.

Further reporting by Abdelrahman Abutaleb and Richard Irvine-Brown