Sudanese rights group accuses RSF of transferring hundreds of captives to prisons in Nyala
‘Prisons hold dozens of detainees in deteriorating health and humanitarian conditions,’ says Emergency Lawyers
KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL
A Sudanese human rights organization on Tuesday accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of transferring hundreds of detained civilians and captured soldiers from El-Fasher in North Darfur state to prisons in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
The Emergency Lawyers, a nongovernmental group, said in a statement that “the RSF transferred hundreds of civilians and military prisoners from El-Fasher to detention centers in (Nyala) after taking control of the city, in an arbitrary detention that violates international law and the principles of criminal justice.”
The association said “the prisons hold dozens of detainees in deteriorating health and humanitarian conditions, which has led to the worsening of many cases and the death of others due to hunger, mistreatment and lack of medical care.”
The statement stressed that “separating civilians from military prisoners is essential, as each group enjoys different rights; civilians must be protected from any collective punishment, while military prisoners are entitled to humane treatment, medical care and guarantees specified under the Third Geneva Convention.”
It called for “the immediate release of civilians and the rejection of any trials or charges,” urging the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to “fulfill its role in visiting detention centers, ensuring the safety of detainees, guaranteeing respect for international humanitarian law, and providing the necessary legal and humanitarian assistance.”
There was no immediate comment from Sudanese authorities or the RSF regarding the statement.
On Oct. 26, the RSF seized control of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and committed massacres, according to local and international organizations.
With the fall of El-Fasher, the RSF gained control of all five Darfur states in the west out of Sudan’s 18 states, while the army controls most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east and center, including the capital Khartoum.
Darfur makes up about one-fifth of Sudan’s territory, but most of the country’s 50 million people live in army-held areas.
Since April 15, 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been locked in a war that regional and international mediations have failed to end. The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.
