Nyala: Organised crime, chaos, terrorise civilians in South Darfur capital

Prepared by Sudan Tribune for Sudan Media Forum

Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, is experiencing an unprecedented security collapse. Violations have escalated sharply, including extrajudicial killings, systematic looting, extortion, and kidnappings for ransom. Senior officers are accused of orchestrating and directing these crimes.

The security chaos reached its peak after the arrival of large numbers of Rapid Support Forces fighters from the fronts in Khartoum, Gezira, White Nile, and Sennar states, following the military losses they suffered there. According to local sources, the returning fighters engaged in widespread looting and plunder, turning civilian life into hell, forcing dozens of merchants and employees to hide in their homes for fear of being targeted.

However, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) denies any wrongdoing, claiming that those responsible are outlaws who have exploited the wartime circumstances. Since the first months of the outbreak of fighting between the army and the RSF in April 2023, the RSF has controlled the city of Nyala and large areas of greater Darfur, and intends to announce a parallel government there within the “Establishment” coalition, which was launched several months earlier.

“We are living through difficult days,” Aisha, a resident of Al-Wahda neighborhood, told Sudan Tribune. “Rapid Support Forces soldiers and allied tribal militias are looting everything, even food and vegetables from the markets.” She noted that her son was stabbed with a sharp object when he resisted an armed group that tried to steal his phone outside their home, and she confirmed that she is seriously considering leaving the city in search of safety.

For his part, a trader at the El Geneina Bus Station market explained that armed groups from the Rapid Support Forces are extorting traders and forcing them to pay huge fees under the pretext of providing protection. He said, “The market has become a state of utter chaos, with armed men, some of them children, plundering and stealing at gunpoint.” He revealed that this situation has prompted major traders to flee to Chad, Libya, and South Sudan.

Human rights activist Osman Badr al-Din attributes the escalating crime rate to the absence of the rule of law and the lack of salaries for Rapid Support Forces fighters since the war began, which has driven them to looting and murder to secure their needs.

Despite the chaos and security breaches that pervade the city, they are more concentrated in two main markets:

Qadira Market: Located southwest of the city, it is completely controlled by elements loyal to the Rapid Support Forces. According to Badr al-Din, everything is sold in this market, including weapons, ammunition, and drugs. He emphasized that “the Rapid Support Forces and its civilian government have no authority over this market; in fact, most of its traders are officers and soldiers in the forces.”

The “Geneina Bus Station” market is controlled by traders from ethnic groups considered to be non-Arab tribes, who are subject to constant extortion. The market has witnessed bloody killings, including the killing of six Rapid Support Forces soldiers by a former army soldier who threw a grenade at them after being repeatedly blackmailed.

Multiple sources confirmed to Sudan Tribune that senior Rapid Support Forces officers directly supervise the groups terrorizing civilians. The sources mentioned specific names, including Colonel Mohamed Shorba and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Aliud, who was previously killed by a group of Rapid Support Forces members while attempting to transport stolen money and cars. They also mentioned Lieutenant Colonel Ayna, who led a criminal group before being killed by a dealer with a hand grenade last March.

Death camps and enforced disappearance

Kidnapping groups are active in Nyala, with more than 100 people reported missing under mysterious circumstances over the past two months. The Rapid Support Forces operate several detention centers in the city, most notably the “Neem Forest” facility and the former military intelligence building, where they detain dozens of civilians, merchants, and employees, as well as retired army and police officers, on the pretext of spying for the military.

A citizen reported that his brother was kidnapped near the Turkish hospital after being accused of photographing the facility used by the forces to treat their wounded. The detainee’s officials demanded a ransom of 7 million Sudanese pounds for his release.

Rapid Support Forces deny

In contrast, Mustafa Mohamed Ibrahim, advisor to the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, denied these accusations. He told Sudan Tribune, “These acts of disorder are not being perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces, but by outlaws who have exploited the circumstances of the war.” He accused “arms affiliated with the National Congress Party” of mobilizing these gangs to destabilize the situation. He confirmed that the Rapid Support Forces leadership had put in place a security plan and arrested a number of those involved, denying that the merchants had left the city and emphasizing that his forces would not tolerate any member of its forces who committed a crime.

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This report is prepared by Sudan Tribune and published via the platforms of Sudan Media Forum member organisations, as part of their close monitoring of the serious security repercussions facing residents of the city of Nyala, located in the Darfur region.

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