Resistance committees: New wave of violence in Sudan’s El Gezira

Resistance committees in Wad Madani, the capital of El Gezira, reported a new wave of violence by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against villages in the state. The communications and internet outage has been ongoing for more than 80 days. RSF Commander Mohamed Hemedti Dagalo claimed in a press release on X yesterday that he spoke by phone with the envoy of the UN secretary-general, Ramatane Lamamra, about the situation in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, in addition to other issues.

The Rufaa Resistance Committees in central El Gezira reported on X yesterday that Ahmed Abureid was shot dead the day before, when he, among a number of young men, confronted an attempt to plunder neighbourhood 19 in the town. Last week, Muzamil Azhari was killed in an alleged RSF attack on the village of Banat.

The resistance committees of neighbouring El Hasaheisa claim in a statement on its Facebook page on Saturday that RSF paramilitaries launched an attack on Talbab village, north of the town. The attack killed four people, wounded others, and several people are still ‘missing’. The attackers reportedly also looted homes.

In field updates this weekend, El Hasaheisa Resistance Committees further reported that the RSF repeatedly stormed the area of El Halawin between April 21-25, and plundered the farmers and herders in Enjedo, El Suniya, Safiya, and Katifa villages. Several people were wounded with many villagers fleeing.

People living in El Takala Haj Gurashi panicked when RSF soldiers raided the village “shooting bullets in an intense and random manner”.

The attacks on villages in El Gezira, part of the agricultural scheme that used to be one of the world’s largest irrigation projects, have continued since the RSF took control of Wad Madani and most of parts of El Gezira on December last year.

The Wad Madani Resistance Committees stated in a comprehensive report on X on April 18 that they counted 800 dead, thousands wounded, the theft of thousands of cars and hundreds of agricultural machinery, and the failure of the winter agricultural season and preparations for the summer season.

The grassroots groups in the El Gezira capital noted that the people in the countryside have been living in a state of complete isolation from the world for nearly 80 days due to the interruption of communications networks and the Internet.

“The isolation and media blackout means covering up and concealing many crimes committed by the RSF or by indiscriminate aerial bombardment by the Sudanese Air Force.”

Hemedti speaks to UN envoy

RSF Commander Mohamed Hemedti Dagalo says that he spoke by phone with the envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ramatane Lamamra, about the situation in El Fasher, capital of El Fasher, in addition to other issues.

He added that he touched on the army’s aerial bombardment on civilian areas, and explained that he told Lamamra that they were defending themselves in the face of what he described as aggression and that they would continue to do so.

Hemedti also said that he expressed to Lamamra the RSF “readiness to cooperate in the field of delivering aid to those in need in all regions of Sudan”.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Ramatane Lamamra had not commented on the meeting at time of posting.