Inside the Warzone: Violence Within RSF Territory

Since the war between the RSF and the SAF on April 15, the country has been split into two sides, each controlled by one of the warring parties, especially in war-zone areas. Despite SAF territories being closer to “normal life,” violence has been present in both, with the RSF having higher rates.

Many community-based, women’s rights, and youth-led organizations have been monitoring and reporting incidents and cases of violence. After an umbrella review, it is evident that violence within the RSF territories has four types:

Indiscriminate Arrests: Civilians living within the RSF territories have been facing intimidation and indiscriminate arrests, and these were due to the RSF military intelligence camouflaging in civilian-like appearances. A noted initiative named Mafqoud “Missing” has been established to help report and search for missing people.

Looting and Theft: Since the SAF booming their military bases and all prisoners in Khartoum, Kordofan, and Darfur states escaping, armed theft and looting have reached the highest since the country’s records began. The reports typically describe these incidents as the ‘some RSF combatants enter a place stealing what they can carry easily, and when they are heading out, groups of thieves are outside waiting for the combatants to leave so they loot everything including the furniture. And regarding their out-of-line personnel, the RSF has established a committee dedicated to such cases.

Gender-Based Violence: GBV has also reached a record high, with sexual violence against women and girls being the most common. Combating Violence Against Women -The CVAW unit has issued a report about GBV, stating that most incidents happened within the RSF territories.

Murder and Execution: Many reports linked the deaths of tens of civilians to their being executed–as suspects of being intelligence spies or personnel or murdered accidentally during battles.

In conclusion, living within the RSF territory is a security concern, especially in war-zone areas. Daily civilians face graveyard challenges, whether staying at home or searching for food and supplies.