Mass displacement and looting in Sinjah After RSF attack
June 30, 2024 (SINJAH) – Sinjah, the capital of Sennar state, and surrounding areas are experiencing a mass exodus of civilians following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) attack on the city on Saturday. The RSF has been accused of widespread looting and human rights violations.
Local sources reported that RSF members ransacked shops, homes, and the market in Sinjah, located approximately 350 kilometres southeast of Khartoum, immediately after entering the city. Eyewitnesses recounted RSF fighters storming homes and demanding valuables such as cars, mobile phones, money, and jewellery.
Thousands of residents from Sinjah and nearby villages have been displaced, fleeing southwest towards the Blue Nile state or east across the Nile to Gedaref state. The influx of displaced people has caused significant congestion on the roads connecting Sennar and Gedaref.
Videos shared on social media depict panicked civilians leaving their homes on foot or in vehicles, seeking refuge in towns like Abu Hugar, Dinder, and Wad Al Neel. Sennar state, already home to displaced people from other conflict-stricken regions, is now grappling with a fresh wave of internally displaced people from the Jabal Moya area, which fell under RSF control last Monday.
The Sennar Observatory for Human Rights has accused the RSF of detaining dozens of patients and medical staff as human shields within Sinjah Teaching Hospital, preventing them from leaving. They also allege that the RSF is using the hospital as a military base, a clear violation of international humanitarian law.
The RSF’s advance into Sinjah has triggered a new humanitarian crisis, with thousands displaced and reports of the RSF harassing fleeing civilians, stealing their belongings, and forcing families from their vehicles.
On Saturday, the RSF announced their capture of the 17th Infantry Division headquarters in Sinjah, a significant military base in Sennar state. This offensive coincided with a visit by army commander-in-chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to the city of Sennar, which had been previously attacked by the RSF on June 25th.