The Galgani massacre refers to a mass killing of civilians in the central
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
ese village of Galgani by the
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 August 2024, which killed at least 108 people,
including at least 24 women and children.
Background
In late-June 2024, RSF troops were able to capture
Singa, the capital of
Sennar State. From there, RSF troops were able to expand control into the eastern regions of the state. Based on reports from the
International Organization for Migration, fighting led to the displacement of 725,000 people in Sennar, with
Al Qadarif State
Al Qadarif ( '), also spelt ''Gadaref'' or ''Gadarif'', is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 75,263 km2 and an estimated population of approximately 1,400,000 (2000). Al Qadarif is the capital of the state; other to ...
taking in over 100,000 people.
Beginning in late-July, the Rapid Support Forces began to attack the village of Galgani located in the central Sudanese Sennar State. Sudan's Foreign Ministry stated that RSF soldiers “indiscriminately opened fire on the village’s unarmed residents” as a result of facing resistance from villagers against their efforts to "abduct and sexually assault" several women civilians and girls.
The Sennar Youth Gathering reported that the RSF targeted Galgani on August 11, firing indiscriminately at crowds of people as they invaded while ceasing the operations of medical and other service facilities, triggering further mass migrations into the
Blue Nile State.
Massacre
On 15 August 2024, hundreds of RSF troops on four-wheel drive vehicles launched a multiple hours long attack, storming Galgani while looting houses and other public properties, after which troops burnt them. The attack came after villagers launched a resistance against the RSF and successfully beat back a small RSF group, killing three militiamen.
As a result of the attack, the village's medical center took in at least 80 deceased victims which included 24 women and minors.
Among these were several students practicing at
Koranic schools. At least 153 civilians were reported to have been injured in the attack.
The attack left groups of bodies laying out on streets due to the presence of RSF troops preventing civilians from taking in the dead and burying them.
Most of the village's 14,000 inhabitants subsequently fled to Blue Nile State.
Aftermath
The Foreign Ministry of Sudan called on the international community to "condemn this terrorist crime and to take the necessary measures to treat the
Dagalo militia as a
terrorist organization, responsible for
crimes against humanity
Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
". The statement was primarily targeted towards the
United Nations.
See also
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War crimes during the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
The Sudanese civil war (2023–present), civil war in Sudan, which started on 15 April 2023, has seen widespread war crimes committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the RSF being singled out by ...
*
Masalit massacres
*
May 2023 Mayo shelling
*
Khartoum massacre
The Khartoum massacre occurred on 3 June 2019, when the armed forces of the Sudanese Transitional Military Council, headed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the immediate successor organisation to the Janjaweed militia, used heavy gunfire and ...
*
Wad An Nora massacre
References
{{Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
Arson in 2024
Massacres in 2024
August 2024 events in Sudan
War crimes during the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
Looting in Africa
Arson in Sudan
Massacres in Sudan
Sennar State
August 2024 crimes in Africa
21st-century mass murder in Sudan