Prisoners found starving at Al Shajara military jail, several shot dead and others wounded
RSF capture eastern side of Al Shajara base
In a new war crime, a group of prisoners held at a military jail in southwest Khartoum was shot, resulting in at least nine deaths and injuries.
The shooting took place during desperate fighting for the Armored Corps headquarters, known as “Al Shajara,” during which RSF yesterday entered eastern portions of the base, after overrunning outer defenses two days ago.
Other prisoners at the base survived and were freed during the attack.
In the below video there are six men lying on the ground, two of whom appear to be alive, while the others may be dead. Additionally, the men look very malnourished.
⚠️ Graphic and disturbing imagery
Hypothetically, these men could have been the victim of crossfire, given the heavy fighting in the area. However, it’s unlikely there would be so many victims of crossfire inside a jail with sturdy walls, especially since there are no indications of structural damage. Moreover, a survivor alleged that they were shot by SAF soldiers:
The first prisoner said he was detained since May 14, accused of being a “source” for the RSF. “They just shot us inside the cell, many were killed now while drinking water right now,” he said.
That allegation, coupled with the visual evidence of the scene, raises the possibility that members of the Sudan Armed Forces shot these prisoners before fleeing the jail.
Starving survivors
Other videos shows emaciated survivors who were detained for weeks or months, because allegedly they supported the RSF.
The discovery of these prisoners is a boon for RSF propagandists, who are doing their best to portray themselves as liberators, in spite of the fact that they themselves are holding thousands of civilians in inhumane conditions, without cause.
The militia even issued an official statement about the incident saying in part,
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has successfully liberated innocent civilians from a prison belonging to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) at the al-Shagara Armored Camp. Many of these civilians are in poor health, having suffered both bodily and mental harm over the past four months. Their detention, mental and physical anguish, and the denial of essentials such as food, water, and medical care to them due to the SAF's claims that they supported the RSF constitute a grievous violation of religious and humanitarian norms, human rights, and international law.
Map of the RSF attack on Al Shajara
This map shows approximately the direction of the RSF attacks against the Al Shajara base during the past two days of fighting. The Rapid Support Forces overran outer defenses on August 20 before entering eastern portions of the base August 21.
However, by evening of the 21st the RSF withdrew from at least some of their captured positions in the base for fear of airstrikes. They likely spent the night in the adjoining neighborhoods, with the intention of resuming the attack in the morning.
The map is based largely on geolocated conflict videos from the past two days, as well as prior background knowledge of force dispositions in the area prior to the fighting.
