New Displacement of Thousands of Sudanese Villagers to Al-Rahad City

Sudan Events – Agencies

As part of a new wave of displacement in North Kordofan State, Mrs. A.B. fled with her children from the town of Al-Haqeena Al-Jalaba to the district capital, Al-Rahad Abu Dukunah. This was due to attacks by rogue elements of the “Rapid Support Forces” (RSF) on her town and in fear of “their assaults on people, their indiscriminate shooting at anyone who resists or protests against their looting and theft, as well as their targeting of young women and girls,” according to local sources.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mrs. A.B. said: “I left my home before dawn with my children and daughters. I was so scared for them that I took nothing with me—not even our personal clothes.” She added, “We walked a long distance on foot, with the older children following behind me while I carried the two youngest ones who couldn’t walk. It was an exhausting and terrifying journey.”

After the army regained control of Al-Rahad Abu Dukunah from the RSF, rogue elements affiliated with the group spread out west of the city, in an area known as “West Al-Rahad Administrative Unit.” They attacked dozens of villages and towns inhabited by simple farmers.

These villages and towns lie west of the city, separated by an artificial lake known as “Tarda Al-Rahad.” People usually cross it using locally made boats called “taroor” or motorboats. Mrs. A.B. said she couldn’t complete the journey in one go and had to spend the night with her children near a village before joining other displaced people at a school in the city.

Her story is just one among tens of thousands of accounts from those forced to flee their homes in western Al-Rahad, in central North Kordofan. Eyewitnesses confirmed the ongoing displacement to the newspaper.

For several days, armed men on motorcycles—dressed in RSF uniforms or sometimes in civilian clothes—have been attacking citizens, looting their money, belongings, and vehicles, and shooting indiscriminately or at anyone who resists. Several people have been injured, and they even took stored sorghum from underground grain pits (motameer).

The villages and towns of Al-Haqeena Al-Jalaba, Umm Bashar, Ardeeba, Aloba, Umm Saboula, Umm Qunibila, Al-Ananiya, and dozens of others in the western administrative unit of Al-Rahad locality have been under attack for the past ten days.

While there are no official statistics on the number of casualties, at least one person has been confirmed dead, with others injured. Reports also indicate that a young girl was kidnapped from Al-Haqeena Al-Jalaba, and many young men, elderly people, and even children have been beaten with sticks and rifle butts.

Another displaced woman told the newspaper: “The RSF kept attacking us for more than ten days. The last attack was on Friday. They broke into our cupboards, stole our money, smashed the village store’s safe, and spilled out all the food supplies, including lentils and oil. We fled in fear, leaving everything behind.”

The attacks by rogue RSF elements have forced tens of thousands to seek refuge in Al-Rahad, hoping for protection from the army, which controls the city. However, they face dire humanitarian conditions, lacking food, medicine, clothing, and other essentials.

The villagers blame the army for “abandoning them and focusing only on controlling the cities.” They demand that troops be deployed to defend them and restore security so they don’t have to flee their homes.

S.S., from the village of Ardeeba, pleaded: “We ask the army to send forces to protect us from these dangers and to restore security.”

Media reports quoted Walid Al-Rashid, the executive director of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society in Al-Rahad Abu Dukunah, as saying that the number of displaced people from villages west of Al-Rahad exceeds 10,000 and continues to rise due to ongoing RSF attacks.

According to the Red Crescent official, the city is facing an “increasingly dire humanitarian crisis, requiring urgent intervention to provide medical and food aid to the growing number of displaced people.” He stressed the need for immediate action from relief organizations and concerned authorities to mitigate the worsening security and humanitarian situation.