{"id":20103638,"date":"2024-10-13T13:09:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-13T11:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20103638"},"modified":"2025-01-17T21:12:40","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T20:12:40","slug":"sudanese-on-tuti-island-if-you-dont-help-us-we-will-all-be-dead-within-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/sudanese-on-tuti-island-if-you-dont-help-us-we-will-all-be-dead-within-days","title":{"rendered":"Sudanese on Tuti Island: \u2018If you don\u2019t help us, we will all be dead within days\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sudan Media Forum<\/a> Joint Editorial Room
Compiled by El Alag Centre for Press Services<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuti Island, located between the three cities of Khartoum state, has been besieged by the RSF since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April last year. After recent army victories, angry paramilitaries fled to the island and are revengefully assaulting the remaining residents. <\/strong>\u2018The smell of death is everywhere,\u2019 desperate residents told<\/strong> journalist<\/strong> Sumeya El Matba\u2019ji of El Alag Centre.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every day, Kamil peeks from behind the door of his house at the street in Tuti Island, to see if it is clear of paramilitaries with their guns and whips, so that he will be able to go out safely and search for drinking water and tree branches to use as firewood for the preparation of some of the remaining flour in the house to feed his hungry children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Abdeldayim runs cautiously along lines of houses on Tuti, trying to reach the only pharmacy in the area. Though it has been plundered, he still hopes to find intravenous solution and Panadol to help relieve the fever that is wearing out the emaciated bodies of his wife and son, so that they may not join the dozens of the island\u2019s residents who recently died of exhaustion within days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenes that are difficult to comprehend are happening in the residential areas of Tuti Island, which are surrounded by water, trees, farms, and livestock. Located in the middle of the three cities of Khartoum state, the island used to be an important source of vegetables and fruits for the Sudanese capital, Sumeya El Matbaji states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October last year, Sudan\u2019s Emergency Lawyers called for an end to the RSF blockade of food transport<\/a> to the besieged residential areas of Tuti Island. In May, SIHA Network urged the RSF<\/a> to immediately end the siege on Tuti Island. This, however, did not happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the contrary, the recent victories of the Sudanese Armed Forces<\/a> of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its allies over the RSF in parts of the state and other places in the country caused frustration among the paramilitaries<\/a>, which they are taking out on civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘New RSF faces have entered the island. They spread out in the streets carrying weapons, whips and sticks, beating anyone who dares to leave his home.’ <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Revenge campaign\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t save us, the entire Tuti population will be dead within days \u2026 The situation is worse than anything you can imagine,\u201d one of the residents of the stricken island told El Matba\u2019ji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuti is being subjected to a campaign of revenge by RSF members. \u201cRSF soldiers are fleeing the army attacks, and their numbers on the island have doubled. They came, carrying cruelty, terror and starvation to death,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew RSF faces have entered the island. They spread out in the streets carrying weapons, whips and sticks, beating anyone who dares to leave his home. They enter houses, demanding money and gold, while beating us without mercy, without distinguishing between men and women, saying \u2018let the army help you now\u2019. This has become their habit every day,\u201d another source reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A third resident messaged El Matba’ji that \u201cI sneaked towards the pharmacy on a journey in a mixture of heroism and recklessness, following the instructions of those who knew about this way. I carried on with the requests of the neighbours to bring intravenous solutions and Panadol, which have become an urgent need for every house. I survived my journey to the house of the pharmacy owner, but I did not find anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbout three people die every day. We risk going out to bury those who are close to us. We pass by scenes of people lying on the ground, being beaten with whips by the RSF soldiers,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Perhaps their last words\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the audio messages [from Tuti], you can sense the fatigue, hunger and thirst in the voice and words of its speaker,\u201d El Matba\u2019ji says. \u201cTerror and fear of retaliation have become the dominant feelings of the island\u2019s inhabitants. Some of those who spoke to us were overcome with caution, for fear of being exposed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘No water, no food, no electricity, no dignity, no freedom in its simplest form. A spot of land where humanity has been absent.’<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the army launched its offensive on Khartoum<\/a>, large numbers of RSF entered Tuti Island. They plundered shops and prevent the entry of goods. They stopped the takaya<\/em> (charity kitchens<\/a>) the people had come to depend on. Fuel ran out, access to water and firewood has become almost impossible as the people are prevented from going out with whips or bullets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe RSF became more ferocious. They plundered the only pharmacy in the area and emptied the bottles with the intravenous solutions on the ground. The majority of the people here in Tuti are infected with an unknown fever that has claimed the lives of many,\u201d the reporter explains. \u201cThe cries for help continue, trying to overcome fear, and perhaps it will be their last words unless the world interferes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018One big prison\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo water, no food, no electricity, no dignity, no freedom in its simplest form. Tuti has become a spot of land where humanity has been absent,\u201d one of the sources said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven the chance of leaving in exchange for money paid to the omdas <\/em>[community leaders] affiliated with the RSF has now become non-existent. There is almost no possibility to leave one\u2019s home, let alone crossing the bridges to leave the island,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘About three people die every day. We risk going out to bury those who are close to us. We pass by scenes of people lying on the ground, being beaten with whips by the RSF soldiers.’<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

El Matba\u2019ji concludes her report by stating that \u201cTuti has become a large prison where life and dignity are absent. Its inmates await execution, which is carried out successively by thirst, hunger, disease, and killings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are no wells in the neighbourhoods and the residents are prevented from reaching the Nile to get water. The RSF control health centre, what remains of the pharmacy, and the shops. Electricity is a memory from the distant past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is nothing anymore on this green island except the smell of death and the worst forms of human degradation, just waiting for the world to respond to the hoarse cries for help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#StandWithSudan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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* This report was produced as part of the #StandWithSudan campaign <\/em>launched by the Sudan Media Forum<\/em><\/a> in April this year, to draw attention to the humanitarian disaster, avert famine, and halt violence against civilians in Sudan. It has been simultaneously published in Arabic by the media institutions and organisations participating in the campaign.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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