RSF Detains Women, Children in West Kordofan, Accusing Relatives of Army Ties

11 November 2025

A woman displaced by RSF attacks on the Zamzam camp prepares food in Tawila, North Darfur, on April 16, 2025.

November 11, 2025 (BABANUSA) – The Sudan Doctors Network revealed on Tuesday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) arrested children and women near the city of Babanusa, West Kordofan state, accusing their relatives of belonging to the army.

The RSF has sent additional reinforcements to the areas around the besieged Babanusa in preparation for an attack, after previous attempts to seize the city failed.

The network said in a statement that “an RSF-affiliated force detained seven civilian families, including women and children, in the areas surrounding Babanusa city, accusing their relatives of belonging to the armed forces, continuing its approach of arbitrary detention and collective punishment against civilians.”

The network condemned this behavior, stressing that it represents a clear violation of international humanitarian law and a breach of the principles of protecting civilians in times of conflict.

It stated that targeting families based on suspicion or affiliation constitutes a war crime.

The network held the RSF responsible for the safety of the detainees, calling on human rights and UN organizations to intervene immediately to secure their release and to ensure such violations against civilians are not repeated.

However, an advisor to the RSF commander, Al-Basha Tabeeq, denied that the RSF had detained the families in Babanusa.

In a post on the “X” platform, he claimed that Babanusa city has been devoid of civilians since the middle of last year, accusing the Sudan Doctors Network of spreading “rumours to mislead public opinion,” according to the post.

The RSF has been besieging Babanusa from all directions since January 2024, having launched violent attacks aimed at controlling the army command there, but without success in the face of the armed forces’ fierce defence of the city.

The RSF controls most areas of West Kordofan, including the state capital Al Fula, and the cities of Muglad, Meiram, Lagawa, Al-Khawi, Al-Nuhud, and Wad Banda. Meanwhile, the army controls Babanusa and some oil fields in Heglig, adjacent to South Sudan.