Several former detainees in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) detention facilities in El Fasher, Sudan’s North Darfur State, have revealed their nightmarish ordeals after release recently. These harrowing accounts shed light on the inhumane conditions within these detention centers, including severe hunger and torture that led to fatalities.
Radio Tamazuj interviewed several survivors from the Rapid Support detention centers and families of victims who tragically lost their lives due to torture or starvation.
A 25-year-old policeman referred to in this report as “Hakim” for security reasons, spent two weeks in the RSF’s detention center before securing his release, which required a ransom.
Hakim recounted his experience: “I was arrested by the Commander of the RSF’s intelligence in North Darfur, Abbas Kattar, from our family house, along with two of my brothers, one of whom is a friend of my younger brother. They beat us, with my older brother receiving the worst of it. They were searching for me because I am a police officer, although they didn’t personally know me.”
Upon their arrival at the detention center, located west of the Al-Jabal neighborhood, east of El-Fasher, Hakim described continued severe beatings, with his older brother subjected to such brutality that they even severed one of his ears. “This compelled me to confess and identify myself as a ‘police officer’ in an attempt to lessen the beating of my brother.”
While Hakim’s two brothers and their friend were eventually released, Hakim remained in detention. He revealed that his father visited him daily and that, on the 14th day, they demanded a financial ransom of 700,000 Sudanese pounds, equivalent to USD 1,000, for his release. Hakim shared, “My father and other relatives had to pool money for my release.” After regaining his freedom, the RSF compelled him to swear he would never resume work as a police officer. “They forced me to take an oath not to return as an active police officer again.”
Hunger became a silent killer within the detention center. Hakim disclosed that detainees received only one meal and one or two cups of water daily, leading to constant deaths due to starvation. He said, “I witnessed the death of one of our neighbors in detention and others whom I did not know.”
According to Hakim, civilian detainees were dying daily, particularly those brought in from Kabkabiya, Kutum, and other areas held for more than three or four months. “Many often die from hunger and chronic diseases due to the lack of medicines.” Additionally, some perished due to the severance of communication with their families, as they, too, were subjected to financial ransom demands.
The deceased detainees were not given dignified burials. Hakim revealed, “They are buried in different places, including the prison premises.” Families remained uninformed due to the absence of communication, except when a freed detainee eventually informed them.
Osman Issa Ismail, 57 years old and the elder brother of Adam Issa, who died in one of the RSF’s prisons in El Fasher in early June, shared the heart-wrenching story of his brother’s passing. Adam, 53 years old and a father of six, left home to escort their sister to the landport east of the city for her journey to Khartoum but never returned.
The family endured 18 agonizing days without news of Adam. On the 19th day, a stranger in his forties appeared at Osman’s home, delivering the devastating news of Adam’s detainment and subsequent death. Adam had confided in the stranger during their time in the cell that he believed he would not survive, and, tragically, he passed away at 4 o’clock on a Sunday. The stranger also informed Osman that he and ten others had been released after the Commander arrived from the Al-Koma area, east of Al-Fasher.
Another detainee, known as “Ahmed” for security reasons, revealed that he spent about a week in the detention facility. He, too, was released on a financial ransom but did not specify the exact amount paid by his family. Ahmed disclosed that they were forced to bury the deceased detainees within the prison during their week in captivity. After several such instances, they were taken to dig trenches in Jebel Halouf, north of the Abuja camp. Ahmed chillingly described the conditions within the RSF’s detention centers as “horrific” and likened them to a nightmare.
Local media and activists in North Darfur state reported the death of a police sergeant, Ahmed Musa, due to torture three days after his release by the Rapid Support Forces last June. Additionally, the same forces fatally shot a farmer named Ahmed, and Hassan Ibrahim was also shot and killed in August when his Avanti brand vehicle was stolen. More than 100 members of the regular forces and dozens of civilians remain trapped in these prisons.
Activist Ahmed Adam reported that citizens in various neighborhoods under the control of the Rapid Support Forces, such as Al-Jabal, Al-Masna’a, Al-Tadamon, Al-Kahraba, Al-Usra, Al-Ma’had A and B, and Shakrin, endure continuous violations, including arbitrary arrests, ransom demands, looting, robbery, and home invasions. This situation has driven many to seek refuge in the southern neighborhoods of El Fasher in search of safety.
Activists and some released detainees have accused Rapid Support Intelligence Commander Abbas Kattar of overseeing the arrest, torture, and rampant violations in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces to the east of El Fasher.
In a separate incident, the nephew of South Sudan government advisor Salva Kiir Mayardit was detained by the Commander of the Rapid Support Intelligence in North Darfur while on his way to a neighboring country on the western border with Sudan. A financial ransom was demanded for his release, ultimately facilitated by the intervention of the North Darfur governor.
Dr. Abbas Al-Tijani, a researcher in peace and human rights studies, has expressed concern over the increasing number of unreported violations in conflict areas, particularly in the Darfur region. He emphasized the need for civil society organizations to intervene and urge the conflicting parties to halt these violations and monitor and assist the victims in potential future legal proceedings.
When asked for comment, Izzat Ibrahim Yusuf, a political advisor to the RSF leader Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, said: “We have not received any complaint from citizens about those accusations. We only hear those complaints from the Islamists and their associates.”
The RSF advisor further said the welcome the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution to establish a face-finding mission to probe allegations of abuses in Sudan.