Militia Violations in Al-Jazirah: Details of Horrific Atrocities

Salwa Abdullah had not yet recovered from a cesarean section. While she was caring for her one-month-old infant, soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia stormed her home in Al-Jazirah state late last month. The intruders accused Salwa of supporting the army and its allies, their adversaries in a war that has now lasted 18 months. She told Reuters from a temporary shelter in New Halfa, where she arrived after walking for days with her elderly mother and children, “They told us, ‘You killed us; today, we will kill you and rape your daughters.’” Salwa added that the militia whipped them out of their village, then opened fire at them while riding motorcycles—a claim echoed by two others who also endured attacks.

Reuters spoke with 13 victims who had experienced a series of intense and violent raids in Al-Jazirah over the past two weeks. Activists report that at least 65 villages and towns were targeted. According to the United Nations, about 135,000 people have been displaced, most of them fleeing to Kassala, Gedaref, and River Nile states, areas already crowded with some of the roughly 11 million people internally displaced by the devastating war that erupted in April 2023. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN representative in Sudan, stated, “I am shocked and deeply disturbed by the human rights violations in Al-Jazirah, which are on a level similar to what we saw in Darfur last year. These are horrific crimes.” Last year’s attacks, she noted, led the United States and others to accuse the RSF of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

The war has spread hunger across Sudan, erased much of the government’s presence in areas controlled by the RSF, and raised fears of the country’s disintegration. Both warring parties face accusations of blocking urgently needed international aid. The RSF did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The Sudanese army spokesman, Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah, said, “These people are simple civilians, living safely in their villages. They are not fighters, and there isn’t a single military garrison there for the RSF to accuse these citizens of cooperating with us.” He added, “They (RSF) are carrying out a major scheme to displace the people of these villages.”

Though Al-Jazirah had suffered violent looting since the RSF seized control in December, the defection of the RSF’s commander in the state has sparked a series of retaliatory attacks. The Wad Madani Resistance Committees, a pro-democracy group, published the names of 169 people killed since violence erupted on October 20, noting in a statement that hundreds more may have died. Last week, the UN human rights office reported at least 25 cases of sexual violence, including the death of an 11-year-old girl. The RSF also reportedly seized internet devices in 30 villages and burned crop fields. The worst incident took place in Sereihah village, where the Wad Madani Resistance Committees reported that 124 people were killed on October 25.

A video verified by Reuters showed RSF soldiers lining up men, many of them elderly, intimidating them, and forcing them to mimic sheep sounds. Some of the men’s clothes were stained with blood. Another video verified by Reuters showed dozens of bodies wrapped in sheets, prepared for burial. The RSF denies ordering these attacks, attributing the violence in Al-Jazirah to the army arming local groups, In response, the army acknowledge supporting popular resistance, though

there is little evidence of

widespread civilian armament in Al-jazirah.

Hashim Bashir, a disabled man who lost a leg before the work, reported that the RSF evicted him from his home in the village of Nayyib. Showing scars on his remaining leg, he said, “They are extremely savage; they have no mercy for the elderly, woman, men, or children. They beat and, if you survive the bullets, they club you; if survive that, they whip you like a child until you cry.” His niece, Faiza Mohamed, recounted that the RSF forbade them from taking anything, even identification documents. “When I hid under the bed, they beat me, pulled me out, tore the earring from my ear, and stole my phone,” she said.