Sudanese soldiers, officials accused of looting in Omdurman – activists
March 19, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Local authorities and soldiers in Omdurman, Khartoum State, are engaged in systematic looting of civilians, activists said on Wednesday.
The Sudanese army retook control of most of Omdurman’s residential areas several months ago, leading thousands of residents to return despite continued and at times escalating, artillery fire.
The Karari Resistance Coordination, a local activist group, said in a statement that Omdurman was “living under the weight of a systematic looting campaign, led by some soldiers, tax investigators, and local authorities, in the absence of law and accountability.”
The group said residents were victims of “official extortion” carried out in the name of the state without any legal basis, adding to the hardships caused by the ongoing war and general lawlessness.
Some soldiers and other individuals had formed armed gangs, the statement said, robbing people of money and mobile phones at gunpoint in broad daylight.
“Citizens are forced to give up their property by force as if these groups are not part of an official institution, but organized crime gangs,” the statement added. “Assaults on traders and vendors have also become a daily occurrence, with money and goods taken from them by force without any possibility of objection.”
On March 6, the Khartoum State Security Affairs Coordination Committee met, chaired by acting Khartoum Governor Ahmed Osman Hamza. The committee discussed security measures, including requiring all service providers and shops to install surveillance cameras to help detect thefts and looting, according to a statement from the committee at the time.
On March 11, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Army Yasir al-Atta directed the Khartoum government to restore security, crack down on criminals, and protect citizens and their property.
The directive followed complaints from residents in the East Nile, Bahri, and Karari localities about widespread theft of homes by army personnel and other individuals, taking advantage of the security vacuum and absence of police.
Al-Atta, chairing a meeting of the Khartoum State Security Committee, called for the committee to be fully operational within 48 hours and resume its duties from pre-war locations.
The state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported at the time that the meeting had produced several key decisions affecting the security of Khartoum State citizens, including the redeployment of “all regular forces” to their previous positions in areas “cleansed of the rebellion.”
SUNA added that the move aimed to “establish security, eliminate negative phenomena and outlaws, and protect citizens in their lives and property.”
Dozens of checkpoints and patrols patrol the streets of Omdurman. Since the war began, the city has served as the Khartoum State government’s headquarters and is frequently visited by senior state officials, including the head of the Sovereignty Council.
The Karari Resistance Coordination said the tax investigation department had “surpassed traditional gangs” in its extortion of citizens, forcing traders and vendors to pay daily sums without any legal justification or official receipts.
“These amounts are not taxes, but compulsory bribes paid for fear of confiscation or closure; even those with official papers and legal permits are not spared,” the group said.
The activist group said these actions were part of a systematic policy to turn the army and police into tools for looting and illicit enrichment, warning that such practices were fueling public anger.
“These events have become daily occurrences, and complaints from citizens, small traders, and street vendors have increased. We have also observed some of them taking place in plain sight of the regular forces without them lifting a finger,” the coordination added.