RSF detains five West Kordofan youths for ‘possession of arms’

Five young men have been arrested and jailed by members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) government militia in West Kordofan on allegations of weapons possession. They deny the charges but their captors demand substantial bail before they may be released.

One of the relatives of the detainees told Radio Dabanga the five youths, three of them brothers, Abjan, Juma, and Ibrahim Mohamed, and Salam Hamad and Hasan Mohamed, were arrested 10 days ago on charges of possession of weapons, but they stated that they do not have weapons nor are they involved in criminal activities.

They were detained at Ed El Nil village of Hawar area north of El Nahud, were first taken to Awlad Bakheet, and are being held in El Nahud.

The relative said that their arrest is part of a wide campaign led by the RSF in the area for a month in which they forced sheikhs to hand over everyone in possession of weapons or accused of theft.

A relative of the youths who visited them said that his brothers told him that they were held under the emergency measures without knowing the charges against them, yet they were told they had to pay SDG 60,000 ($1,600*) each to be released.

* All SDG currency conversions are based on the daily US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS)