'No way out': Sudanese paramilitary prevented from leaving

When Sudan's second largest city, Wad Madani, fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on December 18, Afnan Hind and his family fled to a nearby village to stay with relatives. But paramilitary groups came there and did not allow the residents to leave. Hind and his family were trapped by a gang that was killing civilians, raping women and girls, and looting civilian property. A few days later, RSF fighters broke into the apartment and stole a car parked outside, he said. "My brother gave me the keys without objection. He was afraid [of the girls at home]," Hind, 21, told Voice of Urdu. "There was a lot of fear about what the RSF would ask."

According to citizens, UN agencies and local observers, the RSF is preventing people from leaving towns and cities in Gezira province, the capital of which is Wad Madani. Gezira is the lifeline for the rest of Sudan and a refuge for hundreds of thousands of people who were displaced from the war-torn capital Khartoum at the start of the war that broke out last April. When the army attacked Gezira, some 300,000 people - many for the second time - fled into army territory, but most of them now have no access to RSF checkpoints.

Those detained in Gezira alleged that the RSF committed numerous human rights violations, including sexually abusing women and girls and killing people for refusing to leave their homes. But even if RSF allows it, many people cannot escape.

"The RSF came to our village and looted all the markets and all the vehicles," Hind said. "We can't leave because we don't have food."

"Maybe there is no way."

Four days after the RSF entered Gezira, Mohamad Ahmed* and his family tried to flee. They wanted to go to Sennar province, closer to the south, but the road was very dangerous because of clashes between the army and the RSF. Ahmed said his family walked to a nearby beach and found a boat that could take them to safety.

“The boat can accommodate practically 60 people and is propelled by oars. “It is a very old ship.” Ahmed told Voice of Urdu. "We were very lucky because we were so tired and there seemed to be no way out."

Alain Wattera, deputy director-general of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said others were not so lucky. He told Voice of Urdu that residents of Gezira continue to suffer from a worsening cholera outbreak and that RSF attacks may have destroyed crops needed to feed the Sudanese.

He said the army had blocked the transport of aid to RSF-controlled areas, adding to the difficulty of providing aid to civilians trapped in Gezira. “To get help [to civilians in Gezira], you have to cross all these areas [controlled by the Sudanese army]. But it takes years to get the travel permits needed to get aid from one state to another,” Wattera said. . "Getting supplies [to citizens] is not only dangerous, but very difficult because of all the obstacles."

the humanitarian corridor

Aid groups, civil society groups and the United Nations are calling on RSF to establish safe passage from Gezira.

"The idea is to create a kind of humanitarian corridor so that we can not only reach people, but also allow people to leave conflict zones safely," Wattera said. The Union of Sudanese Journalists recently called on all international organizations to "facilitate the safe passage of hundreds of thousands of women, children and the elderly trapped in dangerous areas."

But RSF spokesman Yousif Ezzat told Voice of Urdu that the fighter jets would not prevent people from fleeing or looting vehicles. He said the RSF cracked down on thieves by confiscating cars and trucks from drivers who could not prove they were the owner of the vehicles.

"As far as I know, all roads are open in Gezira state," he said. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN representative in Sudan, called on the warring parties to establish safe corridors.

"The parties to the conflict must allow civilians to pass safely. People fleeing conflict, especially women, children and people with special needs, must be able to do so safely,” he tweeted on Thursday.

Are you trying to manage it? Kholood Khair, a Sudan expert and founder and director of the Confluence Advisory think tank, said RSF is trying to prove it can govern by imprisoning civilians in Gezira.

He told Voice of Urdu that the RSF wanted to give the impression that "everything was fine", despite the fact that many people had risked their lives under his leadership. "It is clear that RSF is trying to build some kind of governance model, but we are also hearing real stories from people of despair, fear and stress. This report shows that RSF and its supporters have everything to say about their ability to make people feel - you safe. This disproves the story," Khair said. Women, in particular, are at high risk of becoming victims of sexual violence. Last month, local observers reported that RSF shot and killed a woman for resisting rape. She was three months pregnant.

Yara Kau*, 21, said her family forced her to flee Wad Madani. They had already tried to leave the city together but were turned away at an RSF checkpoint, he said.

On Tuesday, Kau, her sister and two male relatives fled on foot. They walked 40 km (25 miles) to a small town on the outskirts of Gezira. On the way, two RSF fighters stopped and robbed them. They also threatened to "offend her" but relented when they saw Kaw's sister in tears and holding the Koran in her hands. A few hours later, they contacted a family friend who gave them a car to drive the last leg of the journey. Kaw is currently in Kassala, eastern Sudan, but misses his parents who still live in Madani Ward.

"I was never afraid of the RSF shooting me. Rape was the only thing that motivated me to run away from these maniacs," Kaw told Voice of Urdu. "Everyone in my family encouraged us to leave because we were women."

*Some names have been changed to protect people from persecution.