Gunmen from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been accused of attacking a remote town on Friday (July 7). There are also allegations that the troops then went on a shooting and looting rampage. AFP has quoted witnesses who said RSF gunmen “terrorised” its people.
The RSF was “looting banks and public buildings” in Bara, a town 50 kilometres (30 miles) northeast of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, a witness told AFP.
“We’re being terrorised: they shoot and loot, and the army and police are nowhere to be seen,” said another resident, Abdelmohsen Ibrahim.
“Even if the army tries to come from El-Obeid, the RSF are in control of the El-Obeid-Bara road.”
El-Obeid, 350 kilometres south of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, is a strategic logistical and commercial hub. It has an airport and huge warehouses for the storage of foodstuffs.
Sudan has been rattled due to fighting between the country’s military and RSF since April 15. The fight has been centred on the capital Khartoum as well as North Kordofan and the vast western region of Darfur.
Many civilians have accused the RSF of carrying out acts of violence against them, while also charging that the armed forces have done little to protect them.
The army has air superiority. But it has struggled to take the advantage of it against RSF which has established bases in the residential areas.
It has been accused that RSF gunmen have been forcing civilians out of their homes, robbing them, seizing their vehicles and even raping women as they flee to neighbouring countries.
Fresh fighting was reported on Thursday in Khartoum and Darfur, including air strikes, heavy shelling and fighting on the ground.
The RSF paramilitary group traces its origins to the Janjaweed — feared Arab militiamen who committed widespread atrocities against non-Arab ethnic minorities in Darfur starting 2003.
(With inputs from agencies)
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