SAR CONDEMNS REPORTED KILLING OF FOUR CIVILIANS, INCLUDING A CHILD, IN NORTH KORDOFAN.

The Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR) strongly condemns the reported killing of four civilians, including a child, in Tayba Oulad Balouh village, west of El Mazroub in North Kordofan State.

According to the Kordofan Observatory, as reported by Radio Dabanga on 7 October 2026, the four civilians were reportedly killed at around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 6 October, after armed men entered the home of Abd al Bagi Suleiman Hassan in a Land Cruiser.

The Observatory reported that the men demanded the keys to Hassan’s vehicle and room, allegedly seeking to take money and other property. When Hassan reportedly refused, the armed men opened fire, killing him. Ahmed al Jaili Balouh was reportedly killed after arriving at the scene upon hearing the gunfire. Al Amin Habib Nasir and an unidentified child were also reportedly killed. The armed men are reported to have left the area afterwards.

The reported killings come amid continued violence against civilians in Kordofan, where communities remain exposed to attacks and other abuses linked to Sudan’s ongoing conflict. The reported killing of civilians inside their home is particularly alarming and underscores the continuing risks faced by communities whose homes should provide safety and protection.

The circumstances described in this account are deeply concerning. A civilian home should be a place where families can seek safety, not a place where people are confronted by armed men and subjected to violence. No civilian should lose their life because they refused to surrender their property.

The information currently available attributes the attack to a force affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). However, SAR stresses that this attribution is based on the account provided by the Kordofan Observatory and reported by Radio Dabanga. It has not yet been independently established by SAR. The circumstances of the incident and the identity of those responsible must therefore be independently investigated.

If confirmed, the reported killings and the alleged attempt to seize civilian property would constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and fundamental human rights protections. Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions prohibits violence to life and person, including murder and cruel treatment, against people who are not taking an active part in hostilities. This protection remains applicable to civilians and other persons hors de combat in the context of Sudan’s armed conflict.

Sudan is also a State Party to Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions. Article 4 provides fundamental guarantees for persons who do not directly participate in hostilities and prohibits murder and other forms of violence against their life and physical or mental well being. The same provision also prohibits pillage and threats of violence.

The reported attempt to take a civilian’s vehicle, money and other property under armed threat raises serious concerns regarding the prohibition of pillage under Article 4(2)(g) of Additional Protocol II. The reported entry into a civilian home and the use of lethal force against its occupants also raise serious concerns regarding the protection afforded to civilians during armed conflict.

The reported killing of a child is particularly disturbing. Children are entitled to special protection during armed conflict, and Additional Protocol II requires parties to provide them with the care and protection they require. A child should never become a casualty of violence simply because armed conflict has reached their community.

The incident also raises concerns under Sudan’s Constitutional Charter for the Transitional Period. Article 44 recognises the fundamental right to life, dignity and personal safety and provides that no person may be deprived of life arbitrarily. The Charter also recognises the protection of privacy and the home from unlawful interference.

SAR calls for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the reported killings in Tayba Oulad Balouh. Any investigation should establish what happened, identify those responsible and determine whether the reported acts form part of a wider pattern of abuses against civilians. Anyone found to have participated in, ordered, facilitated or supported violations against civilians must be held accountable.

SAR further calls on all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and to immediately end killings, attacks, looting and other abuses against civilians. Civilians and their property must be protected wherever they are, regardless of which area they live in or which party controls the surrounding territory.

SAR extends its condolences to the families and loved ones of the four reported victims. Behind every reported death is a person with a family, a home and a life that cannot be replaced. For the family of the child reportedly killed, the loss is one that no parent or loved one should ever have to endure.

SAR will continue to follow available information concerning this incident and encourages witnesses, affected families and other relevant actors to preserve accounts, records and other evidence that may assist future investigations and accountability efforts.

After years of war, civilians across Sudan continue to face violence in places where they should be able to live without fear. Homes should not become scenes of killing, and families should not have to choose between surrendering what little they have and risking their lives.

Every civilian life lost must be documented. Every survivor and affected family must be heard. Every credible piece of evidence must be preserved so that violations against civilians do not disappear without accountability.

Civilians are protected under the law, and their lives and homes must be respected.

The people of Sudan deserve protection, dignity and justice.

Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR), 

8 October 2026