At least 150 people are believed to have died in a massacre in a village in central Sudan, allegedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group fighting the army.
Rivals have been vying for control of the country for more than 13 months.
The RSF has not commented on the allegations, but on Thursday boasted of attacking two army positions.
Footage circulating on social media after Wednesday’s raid showed dozens of bodies wrapped in white shrouds preparing for burial in Wad al-Nourah, Gezira state.
That video was shot by activists from the neighborhood resistance committee, part of a network of local groups across the country that advocates a return to civilian rule.
The Madani Resistance Committee said it was currently “waiting for the number of dead and injured to be confirmed”.
The circumstances of the killing are still unclear – it is believed the village was attacked twice by RSF fighters on Wednesday.
Hafiz Mohamad, from leading human rights group Justice Africa Sudan, told the BBC that many people were still missing but it was “difficult to count the dead” because “RSF elements were still surrounding the looting area”.
Sudan’s military government has called for international condemnation of the Wad al-Nourah attack.
The RSF took control of Gezira state, south of the capital Khartoum, in December and is accused of carrying out numerous abuses of civilians there – something the RSF denies.
Meanwhile, fierce battles continue between the RSF and the army in El Fasher, a city in Darfur in the west of the country.
Across the country, more than 15,000 people are estimated to have died since the conflict began in April 2023.
Several rounds of peace talks have failed to end the war, which began when the two generals leading the army and the RSF fell out.
United Nations agencies say the fighting has caused the world’s largest displacement crisis and millions of people are facing catastrophic famine as a result.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said this week that up to 5 million people are at high risk of starvation.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had numbers like this where there’s a risk of famine,” he said, adding that “this is an avoidable conflict.”
“That’s where the two men decided they were going to settle their differences through fighting and bring their country to its knees,” Mr. Griffiths said.
