Mass arrests in eastern Sudanese states as RSF advance
"Sleeper cell fears" in Gedaref, Sennar, Blue Nile
Sudanese security forces have detained scores of people across eastern Sudanese states over the past two weeks. This coincides with an offensive by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their ongoing conflict with the Sudanese military.
These detentions, targeting a wide range of individuals including activists, young people, and even Ethiopian refugees, have taken place across Sennar, Blue Nile, and Gedaref states. The justification offered by security forces is that the detainees are linked to “sleeper cells” supposedly supporting the RSF.
One of the incidents occurred in Gedaref State on June 19, where at least 117 people were apprehended. Among them were 27 young men who were arrested during a raid on a local youth center in Al Showak city, in the north of the state. A local youth said that the detainees included a journalist and members of resistance committees actively involved in supporting war-displaced people from Al Jazira State.
“The police and military intelligence came around 8:00 PM. Young people were having tea at the Hai Younis Youth Centre in Showak. There they took 27 people. These included a journalist and members of resistance committees who support people displaced by the war in Al Jazira State. Their ages ranged from 18 to 30. These people have nothing to do with the RSF nor the Taqaddum [a coalition of anti-war political parties persecuted by the Sudanese military junta]. They didn't support anyone, and none of them even said the war was instigated by certain people. But because they were helping IDPs, they were targeted,” he said.
A resident who witnessed some of the detentions said some of the detainees were later released due to intervention by relatives in the military. He also noted that a significant number of those arrested originated from Darfur, a region considered the RSF's primary source of recruits.
“These people who were arrested include a good number from the Darfur region. But [the detainees] aren't recent arrivals. They've been here even before the war, and they had no bad intentions when they came here. So, the claim that everyone from Darfur should be a supporter of the militia is unacceptable. I know twenty people who were arrested but have been released by the military because they have families who can vouch for them [saying] that they are not members of the RSF despite their accusations. So, certain people are kept, while others who have the same accusations are released,” the source said.
People from Darfur are frequently targeted by security forces on mere suspicion of supporting the paramilitary group.
A separate source said security forces arrested 13 people believed to be Ethiopian refugees in Al Botanah, northern Gedaref, as they travelled to Kassala state. The source said the detainees included seven women accused of being RSF snipers. Pro-SAF social media accounts last week shared a group picture of women accused of working as snipers for the RSF during the conflict.
The situation in Blue Nile and Sennar states is no less alarming. On June 30, following the RSF's capture of Sinja, the capital of Sennar, authorities in Damazin, Blue Nile State, rounded up nine people. This group included activists, young people working in volunteer collectives known as “emergency rooms.”
“Nine people were arrested by the security service on June 30. That is the day after the coming of RSF to Sinja. There may be arrests made in other towns around the city of Damazin, but we cannot confirm that up to the moment,” said one local source, indicating that those arrested include “Ethiopians and some Eritreans who were accused of coming to Sudan illegally.”
Sennar state also saw arrests, before large parts of it were taken over by the RSF last week, though the exact number remains unclear. A joint operation by SAF intelligence operatives and the “Popular Resistance” militias targeted activists and young medical personnel assisting displaced persons.
A local resistance committee member in Maireno, a town south of Sennar, identified some of the detainees as Mohamed Al-Baqir Abdel Halim (a teacher), Mohamed Al-Amin Mohamed (a lawyer), Hazem Ali Al-Jandari (an engineer), Mohamed Radwan Abrashi (a member of the Resistance Committees), and Ahmed Abdel Rahman (a local resident).
These detentions coincide with a string of victories by the RSF in eastern Sudan. Pro-military advocates, desperate to explain the rapid RSF gains and the military’s losses, have resorted to scapegoating alleged pro-RSF “sleeper cells” operating within army-controlled areas.
Over the past week, the RSF expanded their control south and east from Sinja, capturing Karkoj and Dinder on the eastern bank of the Blue Nile River, though SAF retook Dinder yesterday.
In southern Sennar, fearing an RSF attack, troops from the SAF's 66th Brigade in Mazmoum abandoned their base. Social media footage filmed by civilians showed the deserted base with various weapons and ammunition left behind by the soldiers. The RSF in a statement on Wednesday evening announced that its forces arrived in the town, a day after the army had abandoned the area.
Below is a video of RSF troops arriving in Mazmoum, which is near White Nile State and the South Sudan border.
The RSF's advance is likely to see an increase in detention campaigns by the military. The crackdown contributes to an already sharp decline in civic space observed in Sudan since the April 2023 eruption of conflict. Activists, journalists, and humanitarian aid workers now face an elevated risk of harassment and arrest, as well as any refugees and persons who are from Darfur, or Darfuri descent.
A similar wave of paranoia swept through Wad Madani and other cities during an RSF offensive last December, leading to ethnically targeted arrests and killings.