Villagers terrorized by RSF in Jezira State

RSF humiliate villagers with forced labor and shoot two of them

Members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) terrorized and humiliated villagers in Al-Mu’ayliq village in Al-Jezira State, forcing them to remove dirt barricades with their bare hands, without digging tools typically used for such tasks.

They also apparently shot two villagers, who are seen lying wounded on the ground in the video below, while the RSF soldier filming calls them “bitches.” Nearby RSF troops made no attempt to provide medical care. The video doesn’t show who shot the soldiers or why, but the context points to the likely culpability of the RSF soldiers.

Although the two injured villagers were both moving when this video was filmed, the human rights group Emergency Lawyers later said that one man died, identifying the victim as Babakr Abu Khalif.

The video was geolocated to Al-Mu’ayliq village (15.007140, 33.109312), which is about halfway between Khartoum and Wad Madani, the capital of Jezira State. It was filmed on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, according to the cameraman.

The barricades may have been built in the village prior to the RSF takeover of the state last month, as a defensive measure intended to help the Sudan Armed Forces. It’s unclear why the RSF shot and humiliated these villagers, but the cameraman appeared to be angered by the presence of barricades and fortifications in the village.

Additional videos of the same group show that they were forced to shout pro-RSF slogans and to insult the SAF commander-in-chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

In a press statement, Emergency Lawyers condemned the mistreatment of civilians in Al-Mu’ayliq, saying, that the RSF had opened fire on a crowd of civilians, robbed and terrorized them. It said, “Civilians are protected by the Geneva Conventions—the foundation of the rules of international humanitarian law—and their violation constitutes a war crime that makes you liable before the International Criminal Court.”

This incident is one of only many reported crimes by RSF troops in the newly occupied Jezira State. According to humanitarian agencies, the RSF looted warehouses and offices in Wad Madani, including World Food Programme stockpiles, forcing the aid groups to suspend their work in the state.

Civilian resistance committees also have accused the RSF of looting money and phones from villagers, beating and arresting civilians, and stealing cars.