Military intelligence seizes 400 homes in Um Rawaba over alleged RSF ties

January 23 2026 (UM RAWABA) – Sudanese military intelligence has seized 400 civilian homes in the Um Rawaba area of North Kordofan on accusations of collaboration with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a member of a prominent legal advocacy group said on Tuesday.

The confiscations were carried out by the “Security Cell,” a joint force comprising the army, police, and the General Intelligence Service. The body holds broad powers of arrest, search, and investigation in states currently under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Rehab Al-Mubarak, a member of the executive office of the Emergency Lawyers group, said in a statement on her Facebook account that sources in the Tayba neighbourhood confirmed hundreds of homes were taken from their owners.

Al-Mubarak identified several residents whose properties were seized, including Ali Hussein Ali Mahmoud, Musa Saad, Salman Al-Bahi, Abdullah Mohammed Hamid, Mohammed Ahmed Saeed, Adel Suleiman Al-Ghali, Zahra Adam Ismail, and Saleh Mohammed Adam.

In one reported incident, the joint security force allegedly assaulted the wife of local teacher Saleh Mohammed Adam and forcibly removed her from her home after her husband was detained at a security facility.

The legal group reported that the city is experiencing a state of panic due to the heavy-handed security measures, prompting many residents to flee their neighbourhoods.

The Sudanese army announced in late January 2025 that it had regained control of Um Rawaba, one of the largest cities in North Kordofan, after it had been held by the RSF. The paramilitary group had controlled the town, located roughly 145 kilometres (90 miles) east of the state capital El Obeid, since September 2023.