GENEVA: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Tuesday it was “horrified” after five Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers were killed while on duty in Bara, North Kordofan state.

Three other volunteers are missing following Monday’s attack, the IFRC said. The RSF claimed Saturday to have regained control of Bara, a strategic city on a key crossroads to the Darfur region. United Nations agencies have voiced alarm about the reported level of violence in the city.

The Sudanese Red Crescent unit was on an official mission in Bara as part of a food distribution team, the IFRC said in a statement.

“They were clearly identified by wearing Red Crescent vests, which are supposed to provide them with full protection, and carried identification cards issued by the local branch. “Any attack on humanitarian teams is unacceptable.” The IFRC said the Sudanese Red Crescent has lost 21 colleagues on duty since the conflict broke out in April 2023.

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After an 18-month siege marked by starvation and bombardment, the city is now under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — descendants of the Janjaweed militias accused of genocide two decades ago.

The paramilitary group, locked in a brutal war with the army since April 2023, launched a final assault on the city in recent days, seizing the army’s last positions.

Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan confirmed the withdrawal on Monday, calling it a tactical redeployment to “a safer location” but vowing to “fight until this land is purified”. The army-aligned foreign ministry said the crimes were “shamelessly documented by the perpetrators themselves”.

Since the city’s fall on Sunday, RSF fighters have shared videos reportedly showing executions and abuse of civilians. The United Nations warned of “ethnically motivated violations and atrocities” while the African Union condemned “escalating violence” and “alleged war crimes”.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2025