At least 150 people were killed and 200 injured in an attack by rebel forces in Sudan, local officials and witnesses said, in the latest atrocity in the year-long war that has displaced more than 7 million people.

The eyewitness described this incident as a scene of terror and carnage as over 40 armed vehicles stormed the village, unleashing heavy weaponry on its inhabitants, killing and wounding mostly civilians, among them children and women.

Another eyewitness reported the ongoing grim task of counting the dead and injured. He said so far, they have buried more than 120 people in a mass grave in the middle of the village.

The RSF acknowledged the attack in a statement Wednesday and said it was a pre-emptive attack on Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF)camps in Wad Al-Noura in response to a planned attack by the army. They did not acknowledge the civilian deaths reported.

According to the RSF, eight of its fighters were killed, others injured, and they seized vehicles, weapons, and military equipment during the operation.

However, it is reported that there is no military presence in the village and that the Sudanese army operates a military base about 30 km southwest of Wad Al-Noura, which is being cited as a possible reason for the attack.