Detention and Espionage: Parallel Wars Wage on in Khartoum’s Shadows

RSF fighters in Khartoum

August 12, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are engaged in a parallel conflict within the Sudanese capital, where their intelligence services apprehend individuals suspected of spying for the opposing side.

On Saturday, the Missing Initiative, a group actively involved in cases of missing and forcibly disappeared persons, announced that the RSF had executed Sudanese practitioner Mohamed Hamid Ali Ahmed after his apprehension from the Jabra suburb around two weeks ago. He was accused of collaborating with the army. The initiative reported that Hamid had been transferred to a camp in the Sports City area in southern Khartoum, where he was subsequently killed.

In July, a civilian suffering from psychological disorders was killed after undergoing severe torture in an RSF facility in the east of the capital, Khartoum, just days after his arrest.

The Sudanese Military Intelligence, on the other hand, conducts widespread arrests of individuals referred to as the “shadow of the Janjaweed.” These people are accused of direct involvement with the RSF by providing information regarding the army’s movements, the city’s districts and streets, or by identifying military installations and positions.

An army officer disclosed that several collaborators with the paramilitary forces had been detained, confirming to Sudan Tribune that after the completion of the investigation of an individual cooperating with the “opposing party,” the person is immediately expelled from Khartoum.

The RSF often recruits its collaborators from displaced individuals residing in the impoverished suburbs of Khartoum. The paramilitary group entices them with offers of substantial financial compensation.

One of the detainees held by Military Intelligence informed Sudan Tribune that he had been subjected to physical abuse by military personnel. After confirming that he had not collaborated with the RSF, an officer instructed him to leave Khartoum immediately in order to safeguard his life.

Sudan Tribune’s inquiries conducted in Khartoum, which encompassed discussions with former detainees apprehended by both factions and security officials, reveal that the majority of civilians arrested and charged fall within the age range of 17 to 30 years.

Investigations have demonstrated that Military Intelligence has arrested approximately 1,500 individuals. This figure appears to be considerably lower when compared to the number detained by RSF Intelligence, which is estimated at around 5,000.

A source informed Sudan Tribune that the RSF had employed a well-known residence in Khartoum North as a makeshift prison, reminiscent of the secretive detention facilities under the former regime.

Multiple sources in Khartoum North have revealed the existence of RSF detention facilities and makeshift “courts” within residences occupied by the paramilitary forces. These makeshift courts impose fines on individuals who return to Khartoum to inspect their abandoned homes or to guard the homes of others.

Four women shared with Sudan Tribune their experiences of being detained by RSF women for providing various services such as laundering clothes, cooking, and attending to the wounded.

One of them mentioned that she had been arrested to the east of Khartoum and subsequently transferred to a “house” in the Taif suburb. This location was equipped to accommodate the injured, prepare meals, and cook food. She clarified that she had not been subjected to torture or physical abuse, highlighting that several officers were stationed within the house where she was held.

She spent 65 days working in this house and was released when the RSF vacated the premises. The injured individuals were evacuated after receiving intelligence reports suggesting a potential attack by the Sudanese army on the site.

Certain sources have confirmed that detainees within RSF facilities have experienced torture at the hands of RSF personnel during their confinement.

A Sudanese police general shared photographs with Sudan Tribune of the severe torture endured by one of his relatives within the RSF facility within Omdurman’s radio and television buildings.

According to various sources, the RSF adopts a systematic approach upon entering a neighbourhood. They initiate inquiries about the residences of army and police members, followed by businessmen and eventually politicians.

The paramilitary forces commence their operations by targeting and arresting regular forces members. Subsequently, they detain traders and businessmen, often demanding financial ransoms.

Military Intelligence practices a different form of detention against activists recognized for their anti-war stances.

The Resistance Committees in Khartoum’s Arkweit neighbourhood reported that one of their members, Ahmed Abu Huraira, had been apprehended by the intelligence service in Shendi of the River Nile state for over three weeks.

(ST)