Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) strongly condemns the targeted killing of Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers in Bara, North Kordofan State, on October 27, 2025, in what constitutes one of the most egregious assaults on humanitarian workers since Sudan’s conflict began.

At least five volunteers were killed and three others remain missing while conducting a formally sanctioned aid mission to support civilians trapped by ongoing hostilities.

The attack came shortly after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) extended their military operations into Bara and neighboring regions in Darfur and North Kordofan, further deepening Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe.

According to verified information obtained by WJWC, the Red Crescent team was deliberately targeted despite wearing official uniforms and identification. Such actions amount to a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which protect medical and aid personnel. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has confirmed the incident, calling it one of the gravest attacks against humanitarian responders in Sudan.

WJWC warns that this incident is not an isolated occurrence but part of a pattern of systematic atrocities attributed to the RSF across conflict-affected regions. Reports continue to document mass executions, sexual violence, looting, and deliberate attacks on civilians and humanitarian facilities in Darfur, El Fasher, and Bara—acts that clearly constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The organization also highlights that the Sudanese Red Crescent has lost 21 volunteers since the war erupted—the highest number of fatalities recorded among Red Cross and Red Crescent societies worldwide in 2025—illustrating the extreme danger faced by humanitarian personnel in Sudan.

Equally alarming are increasing reports of rape, abduction, and gender-based violence, particularly against women and girls, which appear to be used as weapons of terror and collective punishment in areas under RSF control.

In light of these grave developments, Women Journalists Without Chains calls for immediate international action, including:

·       A United Nations–led independent investigation to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the killings.

·       Urgent protection guarantees for journalists, humanitarian workers, and volunteers, and the creation of safe humanitarian corridors to ensure uninterrupted aid delivery.

·       Enforcement of binding international sanctions on all parties and entities funding or supporting militias involved in atrocities.

·       An immediate end to attacks on civilians and the restoration of full humanitarian access to affected areas in Darfur, North Kordofan, and El Fasher.

WJWC stresses that the assault on Red Crescent personnel represents a premeditated attempt to dismantle humanitarian lifelines and silence witnesses to ongoing war crimes. The continued failure of the international community to act decisively only emboldens perpetrators and undermines global commitments to protect humanitarian principles.

Women Journalists Without Chains urgently appeals to the UN Security Council, the Secretary-General, and the African Union to take decisive and coordinated measures to protect civilians and humanitarian workers and to bring an end to the escalating cycle of violence engulfing Sudan.

Issued by:

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC)

October 30, 2025