Mon 25 Nov – The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured Sinjah, the capital of Sennar State in Sudan's agricultural heartland, last Saturday, raising hopes for thousands of civilians who fled brutal RSF attacks to return home.
The UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have controlled Sinjah since June when they swept through the state. Residents said RSF fighters looted homes, raped women and girls, and killed civilians arbitrarily. After seizing SAF military headquarters, they claimed to have taken hundreds of military vehicles and large quantities of weapons, artillery, and ammunition from the army's stockpiles. The RSF's takeover triggered massive displacement, with thousands of residents fleeing the city, creating yet another humanitarian crisis in a country home to half of the world’s population facing catastrophic hunger, according to the UN.
Avaaz spoke to Mohammed, who was one of thousands forced to flee Sennar in July, and has spent over 4 months volunteering his time to support the vast numbers of displaced people spread across three makeshift camps in Gedaref State. He said people survive on one meal per day, crammed into schools and religious centers not equipped to house so many people.
"Take Abu Alhassan center, a small facility now sheltering over 900 families. These people survive through daily contributions from local community members and humanitarian organizations. Typically, they receive just one meal per day—breakfast—and must somehow manage their other nutritional needs. The living conditions are incredibly challenging. Space is severely limited."
Now the RSF has been driven out, they are hoping to return home. "After SAF recaptured Sinjah, the El Gedaref government quickly launched a voluntary return initiative," he said. "Displaced people can register their names and will be contacted once SAF declares the city safe for return. We estimate returning within 7 to 10 days, allowing time to clear the city of corpses and mines.
"Upon return, we will desperately need basic necessities. The RSF typically strips markets of resources, leaving nothing behind. We require basic sanitary and living supplies. My greatest hope is that humanitarian organizations will help us rebuild and survive. I strongly believe that most displaced people from Sinjah will return. The situation here in Gedaref is unbearable. We have no choice but to return.
"The government has planned to provide free buses to transport people back to Sinjah, which gives us some hope. This will at least ease the financial burden of returning home for families who have lost everything."
Video footage circulating on social media appears to show SAF troops inside the headquarters of the 17th Infantry Division in Sinjah, with SAF command claiming to be “on the path to completely cleansing the homeland of the terrorist RSF militia." Colonel Abbadi Al-Tahir Al-Zain, the commander of SAF forces in Sinjah pledged to pursue fleeing RSF troops into South Sudan and called on South Sudanese authorities to prevent the RSF from escaping through their territory. This would mark a dramatic expansion of a conflict that has threatened to spillover into its southern neighbour for 19 months.
Clashes, killings and mass displacement in North Darfur, Gezira and West Kordofan
Elsewhere, fighting continued to rage between the RSF and SAF. On Saturday in El Fasher, North Darfur, at least 7 people were killed in heavy shelling in the Abu Shouk IDP camp, according to the local emergency response room. Earlier in the week, RSF attacks on Et Tekeina, Gezira State reportedly displaced over 6,000 households whilst clashes between the RSF and SAF displaced an estimated 2,000 households from Keilak town in West Kordofan state on 23 November, according to the IOM. The RSF also reportedly attacked Sayyal Market in El Geteina, White Nile State on 24 November, killing at least 4 people and injuring 6.
In a rare sliver of hope, the World Food Program made its first delivery of emergency food assistance to Zamzam IDP camp since famine was declared in August. This aid being delivered across Sudan will “feed 1.5 million people for one month”, which according to the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council will only delay deaths in Sudan rather than prevent them.
The ongoing telecommunications blackout has made it difficult to reach civilians inside of Gezira and Sennar states.
Sexual violence
Women and girls are enduring unimaginable suffering as sexual violence becomes a central weapon of this devastating conflict, says Hala Alkarib, the regional director of SIHA, in an oped published on Friday. "The scale of violence is staggering," she says, "with over 4.2 million women and girls at risk of gender based violence including intimate-partner violence, gang rapes, forced labor, and trafficking. Sexual violence has become rampant, with gang rapes reported in more than 90% of cases. Thousands of women and girls are suffering in silence, without access to justice or support. Suicides have skyrocketed as women see no way out of the trauma inflicted upon them. Many survivors are left to face this brutal violence alone, as international aid remains limited."
International developments
Footage & Images
According to the IOM's latest Sudan Mobility Overview:
Displacement Figures
Highlights
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is building an earthen wall around El Fasher to create a “kill box” and prevent civilians fleeing the besieged city, satellite imagery suggests.
People caught trying to smuggle food into the besieged city of El Fasher are being “executed on sight” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to one civilian.
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