15 July 2024 
 

Summary: The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, known for its brutal tactics, continues to perpetrate atrocities across regions under its control or presence. RSF actions continue to kill, displace, intimidate and starve the Sudanese population.

Incident Details: On the morning of July 14, 2024, the RSF carried out a horrifying massacre in North Kordufan. Local traders, en route to the weekly market in the village of Umm Samima (located 75 kilometers north of Umm Rawaba), fell victim to the RSF’s relentless attack. The militiamen ambushed traders heading to the market for supplies from Western Fanqouqa and Umm Hajlija villages in the Al-Rahad locality of North Kordufan state, indiscriminately opening fire on them. As a result, 23 civilians were killed instantly., and many others sustained serious injuries.
 

Impact and Accountability: These heinous crimes perpetrated by the RSF, cannot remain concealed. Beyond the immediate victims, the impact reverberates through collective terror and the disruption of essential supplies, exacerbating hunger and the siege imposed on civilians. Impunity must not accepted while RSF provides lipservice about humanitarian aid to civilians. The perpetrators, both individually and institutionally, must be held accountable. Justice and accountability are crucial pillars for achieving sustainable solutions to end the war in Sudan.

RSF’s Starvation Siege Tactic: The RSF employs a brutal tactic“starvation siege” amid the war in Sudan: 

Blockade and Disruption:

• The RSF deliberately surrounds areas, cutting off access to essential supplies such as food, water, and medical aid.
• RSF militiamen target civilian neighborhoods, using them as hideouts while restricting movement and access for the local population.
• By disrupting the harvest season and blocking humanitarian assistance, RSF  exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian suffering.

Weaponizing Food:

• RSF have weaponized food, intentionally starving civilians.
• RSF reportedly stormed and looted the World Food Program warehouses in Khartoum, Darfur, and Al Gezira states several times disturbing the humanitarian aid operations.
• The RSF’s siege tactics aim to apply maximum political pressure on the Sudanese Government by depriving civilians of basic necessities.
• As a result, over 25 million Sudanese civilians and those fleeing Sudan urgently require humanitarian aid.

Impact on Civilians:

• Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped in areas under siege, suffering from severe hunger and thirst.
• The extent of hunger and displacement in Sudan is unprecedented, with over 9 million people displaced within and outside the country.
• Local responders, risking their lives, try to provide aid, but violence and attacks hinder their efforts.

External Actors and Accountability:

• The conflict in Sudan is fueled by external actors providing financial and military support to the RSF.
• These foreign governments are complicit in crimes against humanity, war crimes, and starvation.
• Despite pledges from donors, funding for humanitarian response remains insufficient, and local efforts need more support.

Fikra for Studies and Development