Muezzin shot dead in Sudan capital by ‘men in RSF uniforms’

A mosque muezzin and a worshiper were killed yesterday in a mosque in El Deyoum El Sharqiya in Khartoum, reportedly by paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

A woman living near the mosque told Radio Dabanga yesterday that gunmen wearing RSF uniforms entered the place shortly before dawn prayers, with the intention to steal the building’s solar power transformer. “The muezzin and his companion attempted to prevent the gunmen to take the device, whereupon the robbers shot them dead.”

She explained that the mosque is located next to the El Deyoum El Sharqiya Cinema, west of Dar El Maigoma. “The bodies were buried in the nearby Faroug Cemetery.”

The RSF control large parts of Khartoum, including El Deyoum El Sharqiya, a popular neighbourhood south of the city centre, since the beginning of the war in April 2023.

In statements on its social media accounts, the militia has repeatedly denied any connection to crimes taking place in areas under their control.

In a press statement a week ago, the RSF reassured “all citizens throughout Sudan who have been liberated from the clutches of the former regime and the terrorist Islamic Movement that they are not targets in this conflict.

“Our commitment is clear — we bear no hostility toward civilians,” the RSF spokesman stated.

“Displacement from towns and liberated areas is primarily due to fears of air attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its militias. False information disseminated by the Islamic Movement also aims to instill panic and insecurity in these safe zones.”