RSF detains tribal leader, 16 others in Sudan’s East Darfur

January 22, 2026 (EL-DAEIN) – The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have detained a 90-year-old tribal leader and 16 other people in Sudan’s East Darfur state, taking them to an undisclosed location in an operation local sources described as ethnically motivated.

The paramilitary group, which controls most of Darfur, took Omda Omer Adibo, head of the rural court in Mahajeriya town, and the other detainees — all members of the Zaghawa ethnic group — to an unknown destination on Wednesday, local sources told Sudan Tribune.

The RSF gave no specific reasons for the detentions but has conducted arrest campaigns targeting citizens, traders, former military personnel and tribal leaders suspected of collaborating with the Sudanese army and its allied Joint Force, according to the sources.

Adibo, about 90 years old, is one of the most prominent leaders of the native administration in East Darfur.

Thousands of detainees are held in “Dagrees” prison in Nyala and dozens of other sites across Darfur’s five states, the sources said. They face torture, starvation and denial of legal rights that have led to numerous deaths in custody.