In the Wake of the Rapid Support Forces’ Attack on Al-Jazira: The Innocents Are My Enemies

By Abdullah Ali Ibrahim

Summary There is a saying in Sudan, “The one who arranges to kill you also arranges to protect himself from you.” Since the outbreak of the conflict on April 15, 2023, Tagaddom, a prominent organization, has been positioning itself with a firm “No to War” stance as a means of “protection.”

One member of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), using his phone camera, took us on a virtual tour through the now-desolate village of Sireih in Al-Jazira state after the October 25, 2023, attack by RSF forces under the command of Hemedti. The attack affected six towns and 58 villages within the state and was seen as a collective punishment for the people of Al-Jazira after Abu Aqila Kaikal defected from the RSF, expressing a desire to join the Sudanese Armed Forces. Kaikal, himself a native of Al-Jazira, had taken control of the state in December 2023 on behalf of the RSF, but after his defection, RSF forces installed weaponry on the tallest buildings in Sireih, indiscriminately firing at unarmed civilians. The attack left 50 dead and over 200 injured, forcing the residents to flee.

The RSF member’s video showed Sireih’s empty streets, as he mocked the absence of resistance from Kaikal’s supporters, walking through silent streets and addressing the air with derision. He called out, mockingly asking, “Where are the cowards?” and, passing an abandoned bakery, continued to taunt, “Kaikal! The people of Sireih salute you!”

Tools of the Trade In his recent address on October 11, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) instructed RSF troops to avoid filming battlefield events. But it seems that refraining from broadcasting one’s “achievements” is a near-impossible ask for the RSF, whose terrorist nature frequently manifests in targeting civilians, as seen in Al-Jazira. Terrorism, after all, fundamentally means targeting the “innocent.” The RSF’s actions closely resemble those of Naparam, the militia called on by Mozambique’s army in the 1970s against Renamo rebels. Eventually, Naparam devolved into kidnapping civilians for ransom and extorting taxes from the populace—tactics they recently revived, along with beheading, school attacks, and mass displacement.

Such acts raise the question of whether the RSF might soon be designated a terrorist organization, as Sudan has requested from the international community. For the first time, the U.S. has independently condemned RSF abuses in Al-Jazira without including any parallel mention of the Sudanese Armed Forces. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller referred to RSF abuses as “heinous” and criticized the group’s leadership for failing to protect civilians, while highlighting U.S. sanctions against Goni Hamdan Dagalo Musa, Hemedti’s brother.

A Politically Divided Condemnation Interestingly, a prominent segment of Sudanese political elites—including figures within the Republican Party and Tagaddom—continues to respond to RSF’s abuses with statements that equate them with those of the Sudanese Armed Forces, invoking what is known as “moral equivalency.” In their statement on October 25, the Republicans condemned both parties. Their phrasing, however, disproportionately favored the RSF, offering nearly 216 words of criticism for the army while giving only 43 words (19%) to the RSF. Tagaddom’s statement on October 26 similarly balanced criticism, describing events in Al-Jazira and East Al-Jazira as regrettable yet attributing responsibility equally to both the RSF and the armed forces, a stance interpreted by some as tacit justification.

Former transitional government spokesperson and journalist Faisal Mohammed Salih recently denounced the insistence on “balance” as misguided, advocating instead that current RSF abuses be condemned on their own merit. “Linking the RSF’s actions to past or present army provocations justifies war crimes against civilians,” he argued, further describing such “moral equivalency” as a form of complicity.

The Struggle for Tagaddom The last straw for the long-time activist, academic, and former Tagaddom ally, Al-Wathiq Kameer, was the recent RSF attacks on innocent Sudanese citizens in Al-Jazira. He argued that Tagaddom’s current approach to achieving peace is unrealistic in light of the RSF’s relentless aggression. He criticized their reluctance to adjust their “No to War” stance, asserting that “negotiations with RSF are an illusion.” Kameer calls on these political actors to re-evaluate their approach to ending the conflict, suggesting that Tagaddom consider reassessing or even abandoning its January 2024 Addis Ababa Declaration with the RSF.

Many now see the Addis Ababa Declaration, originally intended to facilitate humanitarian conditions for civilians affected by the war, as an impractical gesture that the RSF continues to exploit. While Tagaddom may have intended to promote peace, the RSF has instead escalated its aggressive behavior, forcing 14,000 people from their homes in Al-Jazira alone.

Time for a New Approach For Tagaddom to chart a new course, they may need to reconsider their relationship with the RSF and heed Al-Wathiq Kameer’s call for a strategy that addresses the grim realities on the ground. If Tagaddom is to fulfill its role as a force of peace and protection, it must embody the wisdom of the Sudanese saying, “The protector carries a staff.” In other words, neutrality alone is not enough; effective protection demands strength and decisive action.