Residents of Omdurman have reported extensive looting by soldiers belonging to the Sudanese armed forces in the sole remaining area of the city under their control.
Residents of Ombada district, located west of Omdurman and across the Nile from Khartoum, reported that soldiers had looted a wide range of items, from vehicles to utensils, and had opened fire on anyone who attempted to intervene.
Mariaim Yassin reported that soldiers entered her mother’s home shortly after her passing and removed an air conditioning unit, television, and clothing on a donkey. Neighbors who attempted to intervene were met with gunfire, but fortunately no one was harmed.
Yassin reported that her family was compelled to vacate their residences as a result of confrontations between the military and the Rapid Support Forces during the earlier stages of the war. After the violence ceased, the family came back. Yassin expressed optimism when the army was stationed in their region, but their continuous plundering has left them disappointed.
Yassin brought her mother’s furniture to her own home to keep it safe. One day, she was approached by three soldiers who inquired about its whereabouts. “I was terrified and couldn’t respond,” she recounted, noting that they left when a male neighbor showed up.
The residences of individuals belonging to the Rizeigat community, who comprise the central members of the RSF, have suffered greatly. There have been regular sightings of soldiers exiting the homes of Rizeigat people who had previously fled to different areas in Sudan during the war. These soldiers were seen carrying carts loaded with belongings such as furniture, beds, tables, and televisions.
The majority of homes in the western area of Ombada 19 have unlocked front entrances, indicating that they have been robbed.
In certain cases, soldiers have been stealing goods that were already looted by civilians who had entered the homes of wealthy individuals who fled at the start of the war, which began in April. The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 12,000 deaths, forced more than 6.5 million people to leave their homes, and significantly damaged Sudan’s economy.
Last month, a resident of the Rizeigat neighborhood was shot in the leg by soldiers while attempting to stop them from stealing from him. On the same day, four women from the community went missing. The relatives of one of the women discovered her earrings and passport at a hospital in an area controlled by the army. They were informed that she had been buried, but were not provided with any additional information.
The RSF has faced allegations of theft in territories that it oversees, such as financial institutions in the heart of Khartoum, as well as residential properties and vehicles belonging to civilians. It has been reported that the stolen goods are being sold in neighboring countries like Chad and Niger.
The reason for the looting may be due to the low salaries of regular army members. Compared to their counterparts in the RSF, who have control over resource-rich lands in western Darfur with abundant gold and minerals, soldiers make approximately 10 times less.
The military did not reply to a comment request. An advisor for the RSF refuted any claims of their fighters participating in looting.
Last week, the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the few organizations still offering crucial assistance in Sudan, stated that the conditions for millions of individuals in the country were extremely severe.
According to Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the NRC, in all his years, he has never witnessed a catastrophic event of this magnitude receive so little attention and resources to aid those in dire need. He stated that millions are caught in the midst of conflict, ethnic tensions, and bombings, and yet we are not providing enough assistance to these individuals. This was expressed during an interview with Agence France-Presse.
Over the past weekend, the army and RSF expressed skepticism towards a declaration made by regional mediators claiming that they had agreed to a ceasefire and discussions about political matters.
The IGAD, a coalition of countries in East Africa, has collaborated with the United States and Saudi Arabia to facilitate a resolution to the conflict.
IGAD announced that General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the army, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the RSF, had agreed to hold their first meeting since the start of the conflict. They also discussed a suggestion for a ceasefire without any conditions.
On Sunday, the foreign ministry, which is aligned with the army, stated that it does not acknowledge the IGAD statement because it did not include their notes. Specifically, they had noted that the meeting with Dagalo was contingent upon a permanent ceasefire and the removal of RSF troops from Khartoum.
The RSF stated that they would only agree to the meeting if Burhan did not participate as the head of state, a position he has held since 2019, when the army and RSF collaborated to remove the longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir from power.
The military sees the war as a revolt led by the RSF and is unlikely to agree to such a condition.
Source: theguardian.com
