Khartoum: Volunteer groups have reported that at least 31 civilians were killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Omdurman, located north of Sudan’s capital Khartoum.

"An RSF force carried out a horrific massacre, executing 31 people from the Al-Salha area, including underage children, in the deadliest documented mass killing the area has ever witnessed", the Sudanese Doctors Network, a volunteer group, said in a statement on Sunday.

"We consider this mass execution a war crime and a crime against humanity. We call on the international community to act urgently to save the remaining civilians and to open safe corridors to allow them to leave Al-Salha, which is home to thousands of unarmed civilians", it added.

The Central Resistance Committees of Al-Salha, another volunteer organisation, also confirmed the killings. The group alleged that the militia abducted unarmed civilians from the area and executed them, according to Xinhua news agency.

"Available data suggests that the number of civilians killed exceeds 30", the group noted.

The Emergency Lawyers Initiative, a third volunteer organisation, condemned the killings, describing them as "a brutal crime and a grave violation of all international conventions, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity".

Videos circulated online showed soldiers in RSF uniforms forcing detainees to sit on the ground before shooting them. In one video, a soldier was heard saying, "We will leave no prisoners anymore".

The RSF currently controls the Al-Salha area, situated in southern Omdurman, which has seen frequent clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. The RSF has not yet responded to the allegations.

Sudan has been mired in conflict between the SAF and RSF since mid-April 2023, a war that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, with the exact toll unknown. The International Organization for Migration estimates that the conflict has displaced over 15 million people, both within Sudan and abroad.

IANS