The Sudan Doctors Network warned on Thursday about worsening health and humanitarian conditions for more than 6,500 people held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Geneina, West Darfur, amid food shortages and rising daily deaths.
– The independent medical group said in a statement that it had received “reliable information” indicating that more than 6,500 military personnel and civilians are being held at several detention centers in the city, including 709 women and around 500 children under 18.
– “The detention sites include the former headquarters of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), the headquarters of the 15th Infantry Division and Ardamata Prison,” it said.
– The network voiced concern about food shortages and deteriorating health conditions at the facilities, warning of serious risks facing thousands of detainees, including hundreds of women and children.
– It reported an increase in daily deaths and urged urgent action to determine the causes and ensure detainees receive adequate food and medical care.
– The group asked authorities to provide safe drinking water, food and health care to all detainees, and allow independent medical and humanitarian organizations access to the facilities to assess conditions.
– It also urged the disclosure of the detainees’ whereabouts and fates, guarantees for their safety and protection from torture and ill-treatment, and special protection for women and children.
– There was no comment from the RSF on the allegations.
– Sudanese authorities and rights groups estimate that 19,800 people, including military personnel, civilians, women and children, are being held in RSF-run detention facilities.
– Sudan submitted a memorandum to the UN Security Council in June calling for urgent intervention for the “grave and systematic violations of international humanitarian law” against thousands of civilians and prisoners of war in RSF-controlled detention centers in Darfur.
– The RSF controls all five Darfur states in western Sudan, except for parts of North and West Darfur that remain under army control. The army controls most of the country’s remaining states, including the capital, Khartoum.
– Sudan has been engulfed in war between the army and the RSF since April 2023 because of disagreements concerning the paramilitary force’s integration into the military, leaving tens of thousands dead and displacing 13 million people while fueling famine and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.