Displaced People of Al-Jazirah in Abu Hamed: Escaping the Atrocities of the Militia

“We escaped with our lives before the Janjaweed militia could assault us,” said one of the women who survived the massacres and violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the villages of eastern Al-Jazirah. These survivors arrived in the gold-rich town of Abu Hamed in the Nile River State, sharing the horrors inflicted upon them during the militia’s recent invasion of their villages.

Thousands of displaced people from the villages of eastern Al-Jazirah sought refuge in the Nile River State, fleeing from the abuses of the rebel militia forces and in search of safety. Those arriving from the affected villages had endured a week-long journey, much of it on foot, before finding vehicles to transport them to the town of Shendi. Among the displaced are mostly women and children, who have now been distributed across various localities within the state due to the calamity that struck their home villages.

Abu Hamed, located in the northernmost part of the Nile River State, is one of the areas that welcomed the displaced families. Known for its wealth in precious gold, Abu Hamed attracts gold prospectors from all around. Hundreds of families arrived in the town in a state of despair, having lost everything, including the clothes they wore. However, the warm reception by both the official and popular entities offered some relief from their traumatic experiences.

The executive director of Abu Hamed locality, Abdelraouf Hassan Mubarak, along with Entisar Mohamed Abdelrahman, head of Abu Hamed town unit, welcomed the newcomers, wishing them a peaceful stay among the people of Abu Hamed. Mubarak pledged full support, with the local government and community mobilizing resources to provide for the newcomers’ needs.

Young volunteers from the town began relocating the displaced families to prepared accommodations in Al-Fidaa villages, distributing emergency food supplies, and forming response teams to monitor and support the arriving families. According to follow-ups, over 1,000 families, primarily women, children, and the elderly, have reached Abu Hamed. The compassion and solidarity shown by officials and local residents offered a glimmer of hope for those devastated by the militia’s violence, rekindling their desire to continue forward.

Survivors who reached Abu Hamed shared harrowing accounts of the atrocities committed by the rebel militia. Fatima, from one of the eastern Al-Jazirah villages, recounted how the militia burned down their home and executed a neighbor and his father after torturing them for refusing to leave. Her journey involved walking for three days until she finally found transport to Shendi.

In another account, a boy named Ahmed, speaking in a voice filled with fear, said from the Abu Hamed shelter, “The militia came with their guns, so we ran away so they wouldn’t kill us.”

Another survivor, an elderly woman named Amina from a village in Tambul, explained how they left their homes with only the clothes on their backs, saying, “It’s better to leave with our lives than stay and be brutalized.”

These stories of hardship and resilience underline the severe conditions and the courage of those displaced by the violence.