Violations in Al-Jazira: Civilians Targeted by Militia Retaliation Campaigns

A mat shelter holds suffering patients beneath, with IV bottles hanging over their heads, attached to their arms by needles piercing their veins. Dust swirls around, with no sterilized medical equipment, and they lie under the scorching sun. This scene is only one of the distressing images shared on social media, depicting the plight of victims of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in villages in Al-Jazira State.

The Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors’ Union reported over 200 deaths caused by the RSF in Al-Jazira State, attributed to “disease, hunger, thirst, and torture,” while also noting “outbreaks of epidemics and chemical poisoning cases” amid a severe shortage of medical supplies. Additionally, a post on the Facebook page of the Al-Jazira Conference stated that, from October 20, when the RSF commander in Al-Jazira, Abu Aqla Kekel, defected to the Sudanese Army, until November 10, 2024, “more than 1,237 civilians have been killed in Al-Jazira State.”

The Sudanese Doctors Network reported that 11 people were killed and 18 injured, including children, by RSF forces in the village of Al-Hudur in Al-Jazira State. Meanwhile, a video posted by the Trend Sudan account shows a man covered in blood, stating he was shot by RSF members who, he said, attempted to take his money and vehicle, though he only owned a riding animal.

The same account also published a statement recording over 1,200 fatalities at the hands of the RSF across 77 villages in Al-Jazira State over the past 21 days, including villages such as Al-Hilaliya, Tambul, Al-Sareeha, and Al-Aqda, among others.

Activists report that entire families are now among the victims, with news increasingly involving “individuals and their spouses or children.” Others note that the RSF’s violence appears to be an act of retaliation against the Sudanese people, urging that the militia be held accountable for killing innocent civilians. These activists are calling on the international community and human rights organizations to pressure nations that support the RSF to withdraw their backing and bring the militia to justice.

Human Rights Watch has accused the RSF of carrying out torture and mass killings in Sudan’s Al-Jazira State following the defection of their former ally, Abu Aqla Kekel, on October 20. The United Nations has also confirmed that approximately 120,000 people have fled as a result of these attacks.