The African-European Organization for Humanitarian Action and Development (AEHD) has accused General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) and affiliated armed groups of orchestrating a brutal massacre in the village of Al-Shaqiq, located in Sennar State.
The incident, which occurred on Friday, has been described as part of a broader, systematic strategy of ethnic cleansing aimed at targeting specific communities.
In a statement released on Saturday, the AEHD condemned the massacre, which resulted in the deaths of 35 civilians, including many elderly women and children. The organization highlighted the particularly horrific nature of the attack, pointing out that the victims were slaughtered, crucified, and mutilated while the attackers, who wore SAF uniforms and drove camouflaged military vehicles, claimed the victims were affiliated with or sympathetic to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The AEHD identified the assailants as groups affiliated with the Al-Baraa Brigades and Al-Lahouin Brigades, which have ties to Sudan’s military intelligence. According to the organization, the massacre was meticulously planned during Eid al-Fitr holiday meetings, which involved jihadist leaders, security personnel, and local extremists. The attack, AEHD says, was designed to escalate tensions between neighboring communities.
The village of Al-Shaqiq, which has a long history of intermarriage and neighborly relations with the people of Taiba Al-Lahouin—a region that has been historically tied to the western Sudanese people—further exacerbates the tragedy, as the attack threatens to fracture the social fabric of the region. AEHD expressed concerns that such acts of violence could escalate geopolitical disputes into bloody interethnic conflicts.
The organization has called for an independent international investigation to be conducted under the supervision of the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC). It further demanded accountability for the perpetrators and their financiers, as well as immediate international protection for civilians, especially those from Darfur and Kordofan, who are suffering widespread abuses in areas controlled by the SAF and its allied groups.
The AEHD’s statement underscored the importance of holding those responsible for the massacre accountable, urging that international actors step in to prevent further violence and protect vulnerable communities.
