Soba Prison… A Witness to Militia Crimes and Violations
Sudan Events – Agencies
Soba Prison in Khartoum has witnessed grave violations and harsh humanitarian conditions over the past two years, according to multiple UN human rights reports. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) used it as a center to detain both civilians and military personnel.
According to these reports, the detention centers have seen serious abuses, including the detention of children, sexual violence against women, and the spread of epidemics and diseases such as cholera, in addition to severe shortages of food and medicine. These conditions have led to the deaths of many prisoners and detainees.
Harsh Conditions
According to Al Jazeera, Soba Prison is considered one of the RSF’s most important and largest prisons in Sudan. Thousands of detainees and prisoners—mostly Sudanese army soldiers and officers, along with civilians—were transferred there about two years ago.
Al Jazeera’s camera toured Section 6, where the RSF held the largest number of detainees and prisoners, documenting the harsh living conditions they endured.
The RSF did not limit itself to Soba Prison but also used several other locations in Khartoum to detain civilians and a number of retired officers, as well as prisoners of war.
Multiple Detention Sites
Among the most notable of these locations is a camp set up by the RSF in the Al-Riyadh neighborhood, which includes several concrete buildings, along with surrounding structures such as the police forensic offices and the Arab League headquarters.
Information indicates that Soba Prison alone housed more than 4,000 detainees. Dozens died there due to hunger, torture, and illness. The RSF also used buildings and apartments in the Kafouri area before they were reclaimed by the army.
The prison is considered one of the most infamous RSF detention centers and, according to information obtained by Al Jazeera Net from Sudanese security sources, is under the direct supervision of Brigadier General Issa Bashara, Director of RSF Intelligence.
Violations in Detention Centers
A field source revealed to Al Jazeera in the last week of February that the Sudanese army had gained control of the eastern side of Soba Bridge in the Soba suburb, east of Khartoum, following several days of battles with the RSF militia.
The source added that the army, supported by the air force, managed to reach and reclaim the Soba Bridge, which connects Khartoum to the East Nile area. This paved the way for the liberation of the prisoners and the uncovering of further violations that had occurred at this detention facility.
Source: Al Jazeera Net
