October was the deadliest month in violent attacks against civilians in Sudan since the start, in April 2023, of the civil war between the military and the paramilitaries, according to an Agence France-Presse analysis of data from the NGO Acled, which records the victims of conflicts around the world.
Over the course of a month, it counted 1,545 dead. Including all attacks, the non-governmental organization counted more than 3,000 dead last month in Sudan, nearly as many as in October 2024 (3,240 of which 966 were killed in violent attacks on civilians), when paramilitaries intensified violence in Al Jazeera state (center).
Acled counts victims by gathering data from different sources it chooses, which it deems reliable (media, institutions, local partners).
In total, as of mid-April 2023, the NGO counted nearly 49,800 dead in Sudan, including nearly 15,300 in violent attacks targeting civilians. Half of the dead were recorded in the regions of North Darfur and Khartoum (about 14,000 and 11,200). Several hundred were counted in the disputed Abyei region, which is claimed by Sudan and South Sudan.
This tally is not final, as many casualties remain unaccounted for. The war has also left millions displaced and the worst ongoing humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.
Sudan has been torn apart since April 15, 2023 by a war between the army on the one hand, which controls the northern part of the country, and the Rapid Support Forces (paramilitaries) on the other, who control all of Darfur.
After an 18-month siege, the Rapid Support Force captured El Fasher on 26 May, the last major city in Darfur (west), which until then had eluded their control. In El Fasher and the surrounding areas alone, the Acled organization counted 2,176 dead in the month of October, of which 1,385 were in violence against civilians.
The NGO warns that this toll could rise in the coming weeks due to communication difficulties linked to the situation. According to other sources close to the pro-military regime, more than 2000 civilians were killed in the city in late October.