Sudanese population gripped by fear as paramilitaries move towards the south

In the war-torn region of Sudan, the sound of a passing vehicle on a rural road sends shivers down the spines of villagers, as they fear the arrival of paramilitary forces who are pillaging their way south in their ongoing conflict with the army.

According to Rabab, a resident of a village north of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazira state and the latest battleground between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), these paramilitaries have instilled a state of absolute panic among the population.

Speaking to AFP, Rabab, like others, requested to be identified by her first name only due to the fear of reprisals from fighters who have consistently targeted innocent civilians throughout the eight-month-long war.

Eyewitnesses informed AFP that at least eight people were killed by RSF fighters in a village in Al-Jazira state on Saturday. These individuals were allegedly shot after attempting to prevent the looting carried out by the paramilitary forces.

Located just south of Khartoum, Al-Jazira has become a refuge for over half a million people who sought shelter there after the fighting overwhelmed the Sudanese capital. However, this month, the paramilitaries advanced further into the state, shattering one of the few remaining safe havens in the country. As a result, the United Nations reported that over 300,000 people were forced to flee once again.

Those who have been unable or unwilling to leave find themselves trapped in what the Red Cross has described as “another death trap.”

Since April 15, Sudan has been embroiled in a war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. By the end of November, the Armed Conflict and Location Event Data project estimated that at least 12,190 people had lost their lives in the conflict.

The United Nations has stated that over seven million people have been displaced by the war, with at least 85,000 seeking refuge in Wad Madani.

In the village of Aykura, located 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Wad Madani, a resident, speaking to AFP over the phone, revealed that the RSF had seized everything, including cars, trucks, and tractors. Like others, he emphasized the need for anonymity to protect himself from the violence perpetrated by the paramilitary forces.

He, too, emphasized the necessity of anonymity in order to safeguard himself from paramilitary violence.

‘Engaged in conflict with us?’

Prior to the conflict, Al-Jazira served as a crucial agricultural center.

However, as the RSF advanced southward from Khartoum, it seized vast stretches of agricultural land and instilled fear in the farmers who cultivated it.

Witnesses reported that by Saturday, RSF fighters were spotted north of Sennar, approximately 140 kilometers south of Wad Madani.

The RSF has gained notoriety for looting properties, with displaced civilians witnessing in horror as fighters shared videos on social media, showcasing their joyrides in stolen cars and acts of vandalism against homes.

In the market of Hasaheisa, a town located 50 kilometers north of Wad Madani, an AFP correspondent observed shop doors flung open, with discarded merchandise scattered on the ground.

Omar Hussein, aged 42, stood amidst the ruins of his family business.

Every store and vehicle they owned had been destroyed. “Is the RSF waging war against the army or against us?” he questioned.

On Saturday, another resident of Hasaheisa, Abdin, encountered “seven men dressed in RSF uniforms carrying machine guns” at his doorstep.

They interrogated him about the car parked in his driveway, “and forcibly took it.”

When Rabab was robbed, there was no courtesy of a knock.

“They fired their guns in front of the house, stormed in, and left no room unsearched,” she recounted.

Home invasions have become a trademark of RSF takeovers, along with incidents of sexual assault.

According to Sudan’s Combating Violence Against Women Unit, the majority of sexual violence occurs “within homes, when gunmen—described by survivors as wearing RSF uniforms—break in and assault women and girls.”

Both the RSF and the army have faced accusations of various systematic violations, including indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, arbitrary detention of civilians, and torture.

In Tambul, situated halfway between Khartoum and Wad Madani, witnesses reported that RSF members went on a rampage in one of the state’s main markets, firing their weapons into the air without any specific target.