Sudan arrests RSF soldiers suspected of involvement in South Darfur tribal attacks
December 29, 2022 (NYALA) – The Deputy Head of the Sovereign Council, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hametti”, announced Thursday the arrest of some Rapid Support Forces (RSF) elements to verify their involvement in the bloody intercommunal violence that recently took place in South Darfur state.
Gunmen carried out revenge attacks in several villages east of Nyala in Belail locality killing nine people. A policeman and an RSF soldier were also killed during the attacks. In addition, some 16,000 people fled after the burning of their villages by the assailants.
Meanwhile, activists released on social media a video showing RSF elements watching the burning huts without seeking to verify if there are some survivors to rescue or attackers to arrest.
On Thursday, Hemetti who is the RSF commander and Hadi Idris a member of the Sovereign Council took part in a meeting of the South Darfur state security committee in Nyala to discuss the attacks and measures taken to control the situation.
“All the RSF soldiers who appeared in the videos have been detained, and they are in prison until they are handed over to the investigation committee to decide on their fate,” he told reporters in a press briefing after the meeting.
He added that the investigation committee would determine what happened before stressing that the RSF forces were part of a joint force dispatched by the security committee to control the situation after the attack.
Daglo said that the government would take needed measures to end the abuses, find out the facts on the ground and arrest those responsible for these attacks.
“The incident is grave and will not go unpunished, because there are burning and looting,” he stressed.
He further called on the displaced people to return to their areas and not to listen to allegations made by the holdout rebel group led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur, and “destructive parties” that he did not name.
He said that they had decided to mobilize all the necessary resources to immediately rebuild the burned villages. He added that he and Hadi Idris would go to the area of the attacks to assess the situation and meet the affected people.
He expressed his rejection of accusations by activists and non-signatory movements about the involvement of the Rapid Support Forces in the attacks.
He stressed that the authorities will pursue anyone who gives misleading information or accuses any party of falsehood, through the law, to prove his claim or be held accountable.
The deputy head of the Sovereign Council denied the occupation of the attacked areas by newcomers in Darfur, pointing out that there is one abandoned area in Central Darfur where Arab groups reside now.
On December 25, South Darfur South Darfur Police Director Maj Gen Mohamed Ahmed Wad al-Zein announced the arrest of several people involved in the attack.
Earlier this week, armed men attacked several villages outside Belail locality east of the capital, Nyala, to revenge an ambush on herders last week.
(ST)