Doctors say RSF detains 100 families in Babanusa

December 5, 2025 (BABANUSA) – A Sudanese medical group said on Friday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are holding approximately 100 families in Babanusa, West Kordofan, under harsh conditions following the paramilitary group’s seizure of the city.

The RSF announced on Dec. 1 that it had taken control of the army’s 22nd Infantry Division headquarters and the entire city of Babanusa after more than 18 months of fighting against the Sudanese army.

“The RSF is detaining more than 100 families from Babanusa and surrounding villages, including children and pregnant women, in extremely dangerous humanitarian conditions,” the Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement.

The network said it had reviewed videos showing detainees, particularly women, being beaten and humiliated over allegations that their relatives belonged to the army. It expressed concern for their safety.

Pro-RSF social media platforms broadcast footage showing families held inside a building in Babanusa, in which a fighter is heard accusing the women of supporting the army.

Families of officers and soldiers from the 22nd Infantry Division had been living in housing attached to the military base and remained in the area despite the deteriorating security situation.

The doctors’ network condemned the detentions as a violation of international humanitarian law, warning against targeting civilians or using them as bargaining chips to secure ransoms.