Attack on Shaq Al Noum, North Kordofan

Using satellite imagery and user-generated content (UGC), Sudan Witness has verified and reconstructed events surrounding an alleged RSF attack on the village of Shaq Al Noum, Barah locality, North Kordofan, on 12 July 2025.

Key findings

• On 12 July 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly attacked the village of Shaq Al Noum in Barah locality, North Kordofan. 
• Sudan Witness geolocated footage showing burn damage as well as graphic videos of bodies and burials following the reported attack. 
• Satellite imagery shows that homes in Shaq Al Noum were burned or damaged between 11 and 14 July. 
• On the northeastern outskirts of Shaq Al Noum, a burial site containing at least six new graves appeared on satellite imagery after 12 July. 
• Verified footage and satellite imagery suggest significant civilian casualties, although Sudan Witness could not confirm the exact death toll. 
• According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 675 households were displaced from Shaq Al Noum and neighbouring villages on 11–12 July due to insecurity. 

Introduction

On 14 July 2025, Sudanese civil society network Emergency Lawyers reported that the RSF attacked Shaq Al Noum, a village located approximately 5 kilometres (km) northwest of Barah, North Kordofan, on 12 July. According to the report, several other villages were also attacked in the area between 10 and 13 July, including Hillat Hamid and Um Nabaq. The attacks allegedly involved arson, looting, and shootings, resulting in deaths and mass displacement. On 15 July, The Guardian reported that nearly 300 civilians were killed in the attacks across North Kordofan. Sudan Witness was unable to confirm the death toll, however did verify fire damage to civilian property and footage of bodies, as well as footage showing the burial of civilians allegedly killed in the attack on Shaq Al Noum.

Fire damage in Shaq Al Noum

Satellite imagery and UGC provide visual evidence of extensive fire damage in Shaq Al Noum, supporting claims of arson and destruction during the attack. 

Sudan Witness identified visible fire damage in Shaq Al Noum on Sentinel-2 satellite imagery between 8 and 13 July (Figure 1). On 18 July, the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab published a report showing high-resolution Maxar satellite imagery from 14 July, which displays extensive burn scars across the village. Sudan Witness also identified burn scars on Maxar imagery in the adjacent village to the west of Shaq Al Noum [13.75667, 30.34306].

In addition, on 15 July, a personal TikTok account posted a video showing the charred remains of a building next to a mosque in Shaq Al Noum (Figure 2, Video 1) [source available on request]. Sudan Witness geolocated the footage to a residential area in the centre of the village [13.74898, 30.35108]. Based on the reported date of the attack and the post date of the footage, the video was likely recorded between 12 and 15 July. 

Impact

Sudan Witness verified footage of bodies and what appears to be the burial of individuals reportedly killed in the attack on Shaq Al Noum.

Civilian casualties

On 13 July, the Sudanese Doctors Network reported that 11 civilians were killed in Shaq Al Noum. On 15 July, The Guardian reported that nearly 300 people were killed in North Kordofan. On 17 July, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) stated it had verified the killing of at least 60 civilians by the RSF in Barah locality, North Kordofan, since 10 July. Sudan Witness could not independently verify these figures. However, verified footage of bodies and burials suggests the death toll is significant. 

On 14 July, a pro-SAF Facebook account posted a video showing an armed man filming what appear to be two bodies completely covered in cloth and a third partially covered [source available on request]. The bodies are located next to a building damaged by what look like bullet holes. Sudan Witness geolocated the video to a residential area in Shaq Al Noum [13.75079, 30.34943] (Figure 2, Video 2). The date of filming could not be confirmed, and the identity and affiliation of the armed man—wearing civilian clothing—remains unverified.

Sudan Witness also verified a third video posted on 14 July by the same personal TikTok account as Video 1 [source available on request]. It shows at least two bodies lying in the street between the locations of Videos 1 and 2 [13.74998, 30.35094] (Video 3). 

Burials and graves

On 14 July, a Facebook account dedicated to Kordofan shared a video that appears to show a burial, which the caption claims is for civilians killed in Shaq Al Noum and surrounding villages. Sudan Witness geolocated the footage to the northeastern outskirts of Shaq Al Noum [13.75156, 30.35377] (Figure 2, Video 4) [source available on request]. At least six graves are visible in the footage. The graves first appear in Planet and Maxar satellite imagery on 14 July (imagery from 17 July is used in Figure 2 due to higher resolution). Sentinel-2 imagery shows ground disturbance at the burial site between 13 and 18 July, indicating that the graves were created after 12 July. 

Displacement

According to a Flash Alert published by the International Organisation for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM) on 13 July, an estimated 675 households were displaced between 11 and 12 July from Al Kordi and Shaq Al Noum villages in Barah locality due to heightened insecurity.