Mass arrests in El Fasher after military suffers setback

Darfur civilians targeted for alleged collaboration with RSF

Dozens of displaced civilians have been detained by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its allied Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements (JSAMF) following major military setbacks in North Darfur, including the capture of the Zamzam IDP camp by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last week after repeated assaults.

The wave of arrests began in early April, shortly before the RSF seized Zamzam – located 12 kilometers south of El Fasher, the state capital – and intensified after the camp’s fall. As SAF positions weakened, detentions escalated in Abu Shok camp, located on the northern outskirts of the city.

RSF ground assaults, drone strikes, and artillery barrages have continued to hammer IDP camps and surrounding neighborhoods, killing hundreds of civilians – including at least 12 humanitarian workers during last week’s attacks – and necessitating a mass exodus from the town as the Sudanese military fails to provide necessary protection for the civilians.

Thousands of displaced families have fled toward Tawila, a town about 50 kilometers southwest of El Fasher controlled by the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) led by Abdelwahid Nour, and to Korma locality, held by the Sudan Liberation Army – Transitional Council (SLA-TC) led by Al Hadi Idris.

Both Idris and Abdelwahid Nour have publicly maintained neutrality in the conflict between SAF and the RSF and have urged civilians to evacuate to areas under their control, citing relative calm and the absence of direct military operations.

However, the SAF views these movements with deep suspicion, particularly in the case of SLA-TC areas. Al Hadi Idris has been increasingly perceived by the Sudanese military as aligned with the RSF, especially after signing a constitutional charter in Nairobi to establish a parallel government in opposition to the SAF-led administration in Port Sudan.