RSF impeding civilian evacuation in southern Omdurman, activists say

KHARTOUM – Neighborhood resistance committees in Al-Salha, a densely populated area located in southern Omdurman, say the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are committing abuses against civilians, including killings, kidnappings, and looting.

In a statement released on Tuesday and seen by Sudans Post, the Al-Salha Resistance Committees said the RSF has imposed a strict blockade, preventing residents from leaving their homes to access markets or obtain basic necessities.

The statement said civilians are facing acute shortages of food and medicine due to the RSF’s restrictions on movement.

The committees allege that RSF fighters, including foreign mercenaries, under the command of Maj. Gen. Ahmed Adam, a well-known RSF commander who was active in Al Jazira State until January and is popularly known as “Goja”, have taken up positions in residential neighborhoods. They say the area has effectively been turned into a military zone.

“In recent days, RSF militias have executed several young men from the area without any wrongdoing. The militia has also kidnapped civilians, holding them hostage and demanding large sums for their release,” the statement said.

“RSF is killing, abducting, and abusing civilians while simultaneously imposing a tight siege, preventing them from leaving their homes to access markets or buy basic necessities to survive,” it added.

Since March 26, the RSF has reportedly increased military activity in the area, trying to hold onto what is seen as its final urban foothold in the capital.

While the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) made limited gains in early April, advancing on the outskirts of Al-Salha and recently in the Dar Al-Salam area in western Omdurman, they have yet to fully penetrate RSF-controlled zones.

Al-Salha, along with southern rural areas of Omdurman and areas stretching to the far west of Jebel Aulia, remains under RSF control. These territories have gained strategic importance as the paramilitary group continues to lose ground elsewhere in Khartoum. Analysts say that maintaining control of Al-Salha is key for the RSF to preserve its last military and logistical hub inside the capital.

The ongoing conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has devastated Khartoum and other parts of the country. Both sides have been accused of widespread violations, but the situation in besieged neighborhoods like Al-Salha has raised particular concern among rights groups and humanitarian organizations.

With virtually no access to food, medicine, or humanitarian assistance, civilians trapped in Al-Salha are facing one of the most severe humanitarian situations in the capital.

Local reports describe families surviving on minimal resources, often resorting to unsafe water and going days without proper meals. Medical services are either nonexistent or impossible to reach due to the ongoing siege and fear of being targeted.

Efforts by local civil groups to monitor and report on violations continue, despite the challenges posed by the RSF presence and communication blackouts. Resistance committees have pledged to continue documenting evidence and push for accountability through national and international legal channels.

As the battle for control over the capital continues, Al-Salha remains at the center of a growing humanitarian catastrophe – cut off, surrounded, and silenced.