“Slaughter and Rape” – Survivors Recount Militia Atrocities in Eastern Dioum

Sudan Events – Agencies

Under the cover of darkness, Sayed Hassan slipped out of his home in the Eastern Dioum neighborhood in central Khartoum, embarking on a harrowing journey to escape the widespread violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the area. After days of struggle, he managed to survive, though his body still bears the scars of a gunshot wound inflicted by armed men who stormed his house in an attempted robbery.

Sayed—an alias for the survivor—escaped from a region engulfed in violence, leaving behind a grim reality of murder, rape, looting, and humiliation at the hands of the RSF and allied militants from a neighboring country. Food and drinking water are scarce, as all free community kitchens (“Tukaya”) that had sustained civilians throughout the war have ceased operations, according to Sayed in an interview with Ayin.

The RSF has been carrying out killings, slaughter, looting, rape, and abductions in Dioum, while the region suffers from severe shortages of food and water.

According to Sayed, the violations include beheadings, killings, and the dumping of bodies in sewers. In one particularly gruesome case, two individuals were thrown alive into a septic well in Khartoum. Reports also include rape, the abduction of three families—including women, children, and elderly individuals—who now face life-threatening dangers, as well as home invasions and the beating of civilians for the purpose of robbery.

A Month of Atrocities

Approximately 6,000 residents of Eastern Dioum have endured a wave of extensive violations that began a month ago. The atrocities followed the invasion and complete takeover of the area by armed militants affiliated with an ethnic group fighting alongside the RSF. These militants had retreated from Tuti Island and Khartoum Bahri in the north of the capital after the Sudanese army advanced in those areas, according to Mohamed Adam (an alias), a local volunteer interviewed by Ayin.

With the army’s advance, Eastern Dioum became encircled by conflict on all sides, forcing most residents to flee. However, about 1,000 civilians remain trapped in the area.

According to Adam, Eastern Dioum is now surrounded by fighting from the south, north, and west, with the army advancing into the Ramila, Hilla Jadida, and Qoz neighborhoods, as well as near Sajana. The army has engaged in skirmishes in parts of Eastern Dioum, escalating the danger for civilians and increasing RSF-led violations against them.

A No-Man’s Land

The escalating atrocities shattered the resilience of Eastern Dioum’s residents, many of whom had remained in the area since the war began. To escape, they had to undertake perilous journeys through a “zero zone”—a no-man’s-land devoid of control by either the army or the RSF. Some were shot by the army at night, as soldiers were unaware of their identities, according to a survivor who spoke to Ayin.

Many residents managed to flee Eastern Dioum, enduring days of brutal violence from the RSF and foreign militants in their ranks. Yet around 1,000 civilians remain trapped, including families abducted by the armed groups, according to Sayed Hassan.

Sayed began his escape in the final third of the night, just before the dawn prayer, as this was the safest time to move. If stopped by RSF fighters, he could claim he was heading to the mosque, a ruse that might save his life. The greatest danger, however, lay in the no-man’s-land near Sajana, where both the army and the RSF responded to any movement with live fire.

“They Stormed My House, Shot at Me, and Demanded Gold and Dollars”

Fifteen RSF gunmen stormed Sayed’s home in Dioum, firing live rounds around him as they demanded gold and foreign currency. In reality, he barely had enough to afford food.

“I told them I had neither gold nor dollars,” Sayed recounted. “They whipped me and fired bullets around me to terrorize me. When they found nothing, they looted the solar panels from my home and left. Later, others came. When they found nothing, they locked me in the bathroom with another resident. We remained there for a full day without food or water. Then, another gunman arrived, released us, and ordered us to leave immediately.”

A Nighttime Escape

Sayed and his companion moved under the cover of darkness, heading toward the mosque just before dawn. They reached the no-man’s-land and hid until sunrise, when they neared army positions. Soldiers fired warning shots in the air, but after identifying themselves as civilians, they were taken to Ramila. They had survived terrifying moments.

“I was taken to a medical center in Ramila, but there were no facilities to treat my wounds,” Sayed said. “The army transported me to their ammunition hospital, but they lacked the necessary X-ray equipment to examine my bullet wounds. Eventually, I was transferred to the military hospital in Omdurman via Nile boats.”

Sayed spent several days in the military hospital, where his condition stabilized. He later traveled to his family in northern Sudan, carrying with him a harrowing story of survival and near-death experiences.

“They Killed for the Pleasure of Killing”

Sayed had remained in Dioum to provide humanitarian aid, helping civilians through free kitchens. But a month ago, the security situation collapsed. The RSF looted everything, including food supplies, leaving no reason for him to stay. Like thousands of others, he decided to flee.

According to Sayed, foreign militants from a neighboring country now roam the streets of Eastern Dioum, bare-chested and wearing short wraps. They appear to be in a drug-induced stupor, breaking into homes to loot and assaulting civilians out of vengeance, killing merely for the pleasure of it.

One victim, a well-known restaurant owner named Al-Taher, was found murdered—shot