Witnesses to the incident said uniformed and non-uniformed troops stormed the town of Muhagiriya around noon Oct. 8, slitting the throats of several men and shooting a 5-year-old boy trying to escape the raids, The New York Times reported.

Aid groups in the area and displaced people said that the recent events are reminiscent of the 2003 atrocities when as many as 200,000 people died in the ethnic civil conflict in Darfur.

Sudanese officials repeatedly deny involvement in the attacks, including an attack near an African Union strong hold where 100 people died after a rebel attack in late September.

U.N. and African Union officials cite repeated witness testimony identifying government troops present at the most recent attacks but note they were unable to verify the claims independently, the Times said.

Observers note that the recent upsurge in atrocities may be a symptom of the pending peace conference later this month.

Sam Ibok, an African Union adviser, told the Times that armed groups “are all trying to reposition themselves ahead of the cease-fire talks and ahead of the discussions of who controls what.”