South Darfur: 19 people killed, 40 injured and more than 17,000 people displaced following violent attacks in Nyala City

(12 January 2023) African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) is deeply concerned about the continued deterioration of security in Darfur region and Sudan at large. ACJPS has documented recent attacks in Nyala City in South Darfur that have resulted into 19 deaths, injuring of 40 others and displacement of approximately 17,000 people. ACJPS calls Sudanese authorities to launch an independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the killing and injuring and guarantee that their findings are published promptly and within a clear timeframe. Perpetrators must be held to account.

We further call on Sudanese authorities to:

• Officially and publicly condemn arbitrary attacks, unlawful killings and injury and make it clear that these acts are absolutely prohibited, and perpetrators will be held to account.
• To immediately prioritize the protection of civilians in all states across Sudan. Put in place tightened restrictions on the use and supply of arms and ammunitions, and a concerted effort to control arms and ammunition in the region should be launched, as well as controls over the use of ammunition and the presence of militias and weapons in public places.
• Ensure that police and law enforcement officers are deployed in the area to ensure security.

ACJPS further calls on the international community to prioritize the protection of civilians and security situation in Darfur and deploy resources to ensure the protection of civilians in the region and assist with independent and impartial investigations of human rights violations with an aim of ensuring accountability.

 Attacks in Nyala city, South Darfur

Towards the end of 2022, specifically the last two weeks of December, Darfur witnessed a chapter of wide scale insecurity incidents. The incidents resulted into the killing of approximately (19) people including a Policeman and Rapid Support Force (RSF) officer, and injuring (40) others including three Policemen in South Darfur. Additionally, more than 17,000 persons were displaced from 12 villages located in Northern Nyala, South Darfur. The IDPs are currently sheltered in temporary safe places. Local markets in both South and Central Darfur States were also burnt down. These events are attributed to the insecurity that worsened after the 25^th October coup.

 These incidents began as individual conflicts and looting of property like livestock and later morphed into ethnic armed conflicts. This goes to show the extent which the locals are armed and the resultant consequences. The statistics of the incidents across Sudan during the transitional period only confirms that  Darfur has witnessed the largest number of such incidents that is to say that more people were killed during the transitional period compared to the period between 2010 to 2019 and there isn’t a single perpetrator  held accountable or brought before a court of law.

It is safe to say that the government lacks a clear security plan. Additionally, ethnicity has also affected the government joint forces and during conflict, different groups turn against each other instead of resolving the conflict and providing security. The situation is linked to the silent conflict over power control between the military wings that is Sudanese Army Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces.

Government intervention

In some cases, government has extended support to victims of such conflict such as medication but on several occasions the victims have rejected such support as they demand the government to address the root causes.

 On 28 December 2022, South Darfur local government issued a press statement announcing the deployment of joint forces in 42 military vehicles in the areas to avoid confrontation between the two parties.

On 2 July 2022, in Elfashir, North Darfur there was a graduation and rolling out of 2,000 peace keeping soldiers from Darfur movement which is a signatory to the Sudan Peace Agreement. The graduation ceremony was attended by Mr. Folker Petris, the head of United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), General Mohamed Hamedan (Hamite), the deputy Chairman of Sudan Sovereign Council and Rapid Support Forces Commander and General Nimir Abdul Rahman, the Governor of North Darfur.

Background to the incidents

On 21 December 2022, a group of armed robbers belonging to the Arab tribe looted livestock from members of the Dajo tribe from the main Street while on their way from a local market near Mole village located in Belil locality in South Darfur State. A joint group of policemen accompanied by some volunteers from the Dajo tribe followed the foot prints of the suspected robbers. Upon locating the suspected robbers, the two groups got engaged in a gun fire which resulted into the killing one robber whose body was then transferred to Belil Police Station.

On that same day in a separate incident, three policemen were killed by RSF officers who joined the tribesmen of the Arab and Messeria tribe against members of the Dajo, Fur, Berged and Zaghawa tribes living in the area. There were videos published on social media showing a group of RSF members looting properties of the local people. A reliable source informed ACJPS that RSF officers were who part of the joint forces joined the attackers.

On 30 December 2022, Native Administrations of the Dalgo tribe refused to meet with a delegation from Sudanese Sovereign Council led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, Dr. Alhadi Idris, the Chairperson of SLA-Transitional Council and Eltahir Abdul Rahman Hajar, Chairperson of SLA- Liberation Forces. Those in attendance of the meeting included young activists who addressed the delegation about their visit to Bilel. The group made some demands including the relocation of the attackers who are considered as new residents because they settled in the area in 2003 as IDP. Gen. Himite committed to establish an investigation into the incidents including allegations of RSF participation. He also mentioned that there are no new comers/residents in the area and that all people have a right to the land.

There are other incidents that happened in Northern Nyala village in 2003 by joint forces including government and Janjaweed militias. The second happened on 14 February 2014 by RSF officers who targeted 17 villages in Umgonga locality. The attacks/conflicts are linked to the rich agricultural land. The displacement that happened in 2014 also led to change of livelihood from agriculture to livestock in Nyala. East Nyala area however remains the at the top in agriculture specifically the production of Peanuts alongside other areas like Krinik, West Darfur and Eastern Aldein areas, East Darfur. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, Sudan produces 14% of Peanuts globally.

 Names of some of the people killed in December 2022

1. Abakar Ahmed Musa(m)
2. Arbab Abakar Mohamed (m)
3. Daw Albiet Ahmed Bkhit (m)
4. Suleiman Hassan Ahmed (m)
5. Abdul Hameed Hameed Abdul Aziz (m)
6. Moh Abdallah Adam (m)
7. Osman Doud Mohamed (m)
8. Mohamed Khamis Osman (m)
9. Sabir Mohamed Abdul Hameed (m). On 1^st January 2023 the body of Sabir Mohamed was found 19 kilometers from Northern Nyala town in South Darfur. Sabir was killed while he and his family were on their way to North Nyala after their village was attacked and burnt down on 23^rd December 2022.

 Names of some of the people injured during the conflict in December 2022

1. Fatima Hassan Abdul Kareem (f)
2. Shomo Ibrahim khamis (m)
3. Alfadul Hassan Hasab (m)
4. Mohadeen Abakar Idris (m)
5. Ali Abdallah Ibrahim (m)
6. Musa Abdallah Ramadan (m)
7. Adam Ishaq Base (m)
8. Alfadil Abakar (m)
9. Moneer Mohamed Adam (m)
10. Abdu Adam Ali (m)
11. Nzar musa Ali (m)
12. Abdallah Adam Abdallah (m)
13. Ibrahim Mustafa Adam(m)
14. Osman Daoud Mohamed (m)
15. Musa Ahmed Mohamed (m)
16. Alsmani Salah (m)
17. Mohamed Abdallah Suleiman (m)
18. Mohamad kham (m)

Names of the policemen injured

1. Nizar Musa Ali
2. Ali Adam Abdallah
3. Abdallah Adam Ali

Names of Villages Burnt down in December 2022

1. Amorey
2. Tgali
3. Um trina
4. Humeidah
5. Fashah
6. Erickong
7. Hujeer Sambo
8. Seaingo
9. Jumizah
10. Kamoski
11. Trrey
12. Un Daraba

Attacks in Zalingi city in Central Darfur

The central Darfur incident is a mirror of what had happened in Krinik locality in West Darfur in April 2022 where an altercation erupted between a Fur tribe member who owns a canteen in Morin Market located in Zalingi offering phone charging services and the owner a phone over service fees. This altercation resulted into the death of Mr. Ismail Hassan Ismail, the owner of the canteen who succumbed to injuries he sustained injuries after he was stabbed with knife by the cellphone owner. The incident took place at around 02:00pm but the Police arrived at the scene of crime at around 04:30pm and arrested the attacker. The news of Mr. Ismail’s death spread to a number of his friends living in Almeidiah camp and they demonstrated against it. During the demonstration, the joint forces of Rapid Support Forces and Police opened their gunfire on the protesters resulting into the killing of 3 protestors. The situation however escalated to other areas like the North Eastern side of Himidiah camp where a total number of 09 people were killed.

On 29^th December 2022 at 12:00pm during the meeting led by a Brigadier from RSF, Mr. Ali Yagoup jebreel the commander of East sector of RSF in Zalingi and also chief of RSF Reconciliation Committee, an agreement between the Arab and Fur native administration was drafted and the two tribes agreed to stop any form of conflict.

Names of some of the people in killed in Zalingi

1. Ismail Hassan Ismail Daoud (m)
2. Shraf Eldien Ishaq Hassan Kramah (m)
3. Abdallah Abdul Jbar Sanwsi (m)
4. Abdul Aziz Musa Isa Abakar(m)
5. Hamdie Abdul Manan Abdallah (m)
6. Mohamed Abdul Rahman (m)
7. Khalid Tango (m)

Names of people injured in Zalingi

1. Sharaf Ishaq Hassan Karam (m)
2. Hamdi Abdul Manan Abdallah (m)
3. Mohamed Abdul Rahman (m)
4. Noor Elden Abdul Kareem Salman (m)

 On 28 December 2022, General Hamite issued a statement in regards to the incidents that took place in Zalingi city. The statement contained the following points;

• There will be an investigation  into the incidents that happened and that the perpetuators will be brought to book
• He mentioned that there are people behind the attacks with the intension of tarnishing the name of the RSF by making false accusations of their involvement in several incidents such as the 3^rd June 2019 incident in Port Sudan, Red Sea State, the Elgenina incident in West Darfur, and the West Kordofan incidents.
• He also accused some Native Administrators in Belil locality, South Darfur of pushing the NCP agenda.
• Gen Hemite described the Zalingi incident as an isolated incident that escalated due to delayed police response giving them enough time to mobilize Arabs from outside Zalingi and IDPs from the camps. `
• He also stated that although it was not mentioned, he knows that the IDPs chief Mr. Sheikh Yagoup an elected leader living in Hemediah IDP camp was armed with Dushka weapon.
• He mentioned that the attempts to tarnish the name of the RSF has been a guise for recent plan of a military coup in Central African Republic orchestrated inside Sudan territory. He added that the group behind the coup is headed and commanded by Mr. Ali Darasa, an opposition leader from Central African Republic. Mr. Ali entered Sudan during the conflict between RSF members from Rezigate and Folani tribes in South Darfur in 2022. During the said conflict, he sided with and supported the Folani tribe. He was also seen in Tulus in South Darfur, an area occupied by Folani. He was recently seen moving with troops in military cars in Umdookhuon, a town bordering Central Darfur and Central African Republic.

Background information

Areas of Umdookhoun and Umdafoog in Central Darfur have since November 2022 been involved in activities of recruitment of Board Guard Forces (BGF). BGF is a force under the Sudanese Armed Forces’ umbrella formed in 2003 by a decree of former President, Omar al-Bashir. The force comprises of people with military background from different tribes living in Darfur majority being the Arabs. A reliable source informed ACJPS that Brigadier Shukrallah Abdul Rahim, a former officer of SAF was seen in Umdokhoun. In 2000 Mr. Abdul Rahim was dismissed from SAF after he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. In 2004, he became the leader of BGF following an amnesty decree that resulted to his acquittal and release. Mr. Abdul later retired from BGF in August 2019 after he was appointed as acting governor for Blue Nile State.