Paramilitary retribution creates tragic situations in central Sudan
Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - A massive campaign of retribution by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) troops in central Sudan has left hundreds dead and displaced thousands of villagers in central Sudan.
The RSF is avenging the defection of a senior leader to the Army early this week.
“We are following with great concern the developments taking place in the eastern areas of Gezira state, the wide campaign of violations that targeted the towns of Tamboul, HIlalia and other villages, all exposed to massive terror operations, going up to depriving people of their lives,” the Coordination of the Civil Democratic Forces, headed by former prime minister Abdullah Hamdouk, said in a statement on Friday, three days after the massive campaign in central Sudan.
About four days ago, a senior officer affiliated to the RSF, hailing from Gazira region of central Sudan, unlike most of the RSF who hailed from Western Sudan’s Darfur region, defected causing a huge morale hole within the RSF forces in central Sudan and giving the army another leverage to continue its campaign aimed to regain most of these areas it conceded to the militia some four months ago.
The anger of the RSF, though it initially belittled the defection, was exemplary, according to a statement released by the popular committees, at least three main towns, including Tamboul town, were attacked in addition to dozens of villages, killing at least 300 people and leaving hundreds injured and hungry.
“This assault has reached the level of killing unarmed civilians at gun point, looting and burning properties and sorghum, shooting at livestock and attacking marketplaces (war of attrition),” said the political grouping, now mostly stationed in Nairobi, United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia, leading tireless opposition to the government in port Sudan.
This is one of the few instances in which they were critical of the RSF and their conduct in the war.
The attacks, led by armed men riding 4X4 pick-up trucks fitted with machine guns, mortars and men armed with automatic Kalashnikovs and sniper rifles, has led to wide displacement of civilians, it said.
In fact, video footages and stories told by IDP escaping the killing showed hundreds of people marching in the wilderness, aimlessly, trying to avoid areas that could be reached by the paramilitary forces, and thus being the target of the army air force.
These developments occurred at a time the international community and the federal government are focused on the famine and genocide in Darfur, producing a tragedy of an untold proportion in central Sudan’s Gazira state.
In this area and for three successive days now troops affiliated to the Rapid Support forces (RSF) have been raiding village after village, partly in retribution against the defection of the leading RSF commander and partly to vacate the villages and deny the advancing army any meaningful incubator in the region.
One appeal received by this reporter about the rate and mode of killing of civilians said “it is as if this was a campaign of getting rid of mad dogs, people are just shot anywhere found. Dead bodies are littering the streets”.
“We hold the RSF fully responsible for the huge violations they authored in east Gazira state. These brutal, shameless attacks should cease immediately, and we warn against the consequence of terrorizing unarmed civilians,” the political grouping said.
The government issued no comment. The RSF in their media and WhatsApp groups uploaded videos showing followers of the defecting officer in their custody being humiliated, and the RSF entering villages, mistreating civilians, sometimes making them mimic animals: goats, sheep and donkeys or the wailing of women which by Sudanese standard beyond any humiliation a male could be subjected to.
The popular committees have meanwhile issued a number of appeals to local, regional and international organizations and societies: “Drop us food and medicines, our people are bleeding and the dead are countless, there is nothing in our hand and there is nothing we could do, just drop anything by air, we are sieged and have nothing,” one tear-brining appeal voiced on Friday.
-0-PANA MO/RA 25Oct2024
